Māori traditional harvest, knowledge and management of sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) in the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand

Kei roto tonu i te mātauranga taiao te oranga o nga mea katoa o te ao, ahakoa he kararehe, ahakoa he rākau, ahakoa he aha. Mo tēnei mahi rangahau i kōrero mātou ki ngā kaumātua e waru, no Te Atiawa me Ngāti Kuia, mo ngā tītī o tā rātou rohe o Te Tau Ihu o te Waka o Māui. Ko te nuinga o ngā kōrero he titiro ki te maha o te tītī ki taua takiwā, mehemea kei te mau pai tonu ngā kōhanga o te tītī, ki a rātou ake mahi hopu tītī, ā, ki a rātou tikanga mo te tiaki i te tītī. Te āhua nei kua iti haere te nuinga o te tītī, na te mea kua ngaro haere ngā tikanga tiaki tītī o ngā rā o mua. Ki ētahi, na ngā rāhui o te Kāwanatanga te hē, na te mea kua kore e āro ake ki te mātauranga o te Māori. Tuarua, kua iti haere te nuinga o te tītī mai te ao whānui, ina rā, kua tata mate katoa, e ai ki ētahi kōrero pēnei i te IUCN. Ko te mea kē, ka ngaro te rangatiratanga o te mātauranga taiao ka iti haere hoki te nuinga o te tītī. Nā kona e kī ai tēnei mahi rangahau, me kaha tonu te titiro ki nga mahi hopu tītī a te Māori. Me mau pono tonu ki ngā tikanga o te mātauranga taiao kia kore ai e iti haere te nuinga o ngā mea katoa o te taiao - koiana te kōrero.

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can provide valuable insights into historical abundance, ecology and conservation of species. In this study, we interviewed eight Maori kaumatua of Te Atiawa and Ngāti Kuia to document Maori traditional knowledge, or matauranga Maori, of sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus) of the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. Interview questions focused on shearwater abundance, breeding habitat, customary harvest, and traditional management. Matauranga Maori suggests high shearwater abundance historically, as well as traditional harvest protocols and traditional population management techniques no longer in use. Government imposed harvest bans reduced interaction with, and thus matauranga Maori of, sooty shearwaters followed by the species experiencing a worldwide decline in abundance and being classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN. Our study serves as an important reminder that TEK and species abundance often decline in tandem and that cultural harvest must be considered when designing conservation management strategies for species.