Editing Southern Alps (section)

==Threats and preservation==
The mountains are inaccessible and retain their natural vegetation. A large proportion of the range is well protected by national parks—notably the [[Westland Tai Poutini National Park]], [[Mount Aspiring National Park]], and [[Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park]]—or by [[Protected areas of New Zealand|protected areas]] such as [[Lake Sumner Forest Park]]. Indigenous plant life is affected by introduced animals such as [[red deer]] (''Cervus elaphus''), [[chamois]] (''Rupicapra rupicapra''), and [[Himalayan tahr]] (''Hemitragus jemlahicus''), all of which have at times been targeted for culling. Likewise, native birds and reptiles are vulnerable to introduced predators.