New Zealand's tuatara is one of the world's rarest reptiles, part of a high risk group with fears of extinction. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Stats New Zealand says the loss of many native species is a real possibility.
It released figures on the risk of extinction for various indigenous species this morning.
Many of the animals assessed had a declining population trend.
The data found reptiles were the most at-risk group, with 94 percent of the 124 species assessed facing extinction or at risk of becoming threatened by extinction.
Eighty-two percent of 217 native bird species assessed were also facing extinction or at risk of becoming threatened, along with four of the five assessed bat species.
Reptiles, birds, bats, freshwater fish, frogs, marine mammals and vascular plants were represented in the data.
StatsNZ data looks at species by their threatened level. Photo: Supplied / StatsNZ
Forest and Bird's Chief Executive Nicola Toki said New Zealand now had the highest proportion of threatened species in the world.
Toki told RNZ's Midday Report the numbers were not new.
"It's a really damning report and it's incredibly frustrating for all the people in New Zealand who love nature and want to protect it," she said.
"Year after year after year we put out these reports where we're basically monitoring the [native animals and plants decline] into extinction."
Toki said it was time for meaningful action to be taken.
"We receive reports like this, yet we are allowing for intensification in dryland habitats which is destroying waterways and all the creatures that live in them.
"We have a National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity that's been sitting in draft for over a decade (for example)."
She said current legislation was not being implemented effectively and reform was needed.
StatsNZ said "data and findings are as of November 2022 and do not capture the impacts of the recent weather events," such as Cyclone Gabrielle.
Some species in the assessed had also been marked as 'data deficient' because there was "insufficient information available to categorise its conservation status", it said.
"The data deficient category may include threatened species. Percentages of species categorised as threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened with extinction may be higher."
The accuracy of the data source was of medium quality, it said. The data set was part of a joint Environmental Reporting programme between StatsNZ and the Ministry for Environment.
