The yellow-eyed penguin’s value to the economy

As well as being an extraordinary bird in its own right, the yellow-eyed penguin is also valuable to the local economy.

Australian economist Professor Clem Tisdell (University of Queensland) calculated that nature-based tourism (relying primarily on the yellow-eyed penguin) returned $100 million annually to the Dunedin economy in 2007. This figure is likely to be higher today. A single breeding pair of yellow-eyed penguins could be worth $60,000.

The Trust has joined forces with local Otago Peninsula nature-based tourism operators, to argue the case for action on the issue of penguins and fisheries interactions. We have recognised that the conservation of this endangered New Zealand icon is a joint concern.