Sheep country - Maori Lakes - Ashburton Lakes District
With the coming of the European settler, sheep were brought to the South Island high country of New Zealand. These were, and still are, mainly Merino sheep, a hardy breed which were ideally adapted to the harsh conditions. Their fine wool is the backbone of high country agriculture to this day. Of course, New Zealand native grasslands, where the only native land mammals are two species of small bat, had not evolved to cope with large numbers of grazing mammals. Overgrazing became a problem, but vast areas of the high country are now being surrendered to conservation lands to preserve these unique high altitude grasslands. And farmers themselves tend not to overgraze or overstock their fragile hill country pastures, having learned from the disasters of fire, erosion and weed invasion of the past.
Sheep country - Maori Lakes - Ashburton Lakes District
With the coming of the European settler, sheep were brought to the South Island high country of New Zealand. These were, and still are, mainly Merino sheep, a hardy breed which were ideally adapted to the harsh conditions. Their fine wool is the backbone of high country agriculture to this day. Of course, New Zealand native grasslands, where the only native land mammals are two species of small bat, had not evolved to cope with large numbers of grazing mammals. Overgrazing became a problem, but vast areas of the high country are now being surrendered to conservation lands to preserve these unique high altitude grasslands. And farmers themselves tend not to overgraze or overstock their fragile hill country pastures, having learned from the disasters of fire, erosion and weed invasion of the past.