Meet the dream team! Staff from HealthPost Nature Trust, Pest Free Onetahua, Farewell Spit Eco Tours, and DOC working together to tackle pests and restore Onetahua.
A 200-hectare block of land at Pūponga Farm Park, previously used for farming, is set to become a biodiversity hotspot, thanks to a new restoration project led by HealthPost Nature Trust in partnership with DOC, Manawhenua ki Mohua, and Pest Free Onetahua.
DOC’s Ross Trotter, Operations Manager for Golden Bay, says the collaboration is a natural progression of a successful partnerships with HealthPost Nature Trust, Manawhenua ki Mohua and Pest Free Onetahua.
“Having a DOC ranger on-site after the grazing license expired wasn’t in our budget, but HealthPost stepped in to co-fund a position that also supports greater biodiversity gains for the area. Farewell Spit and the surrounding area is a unique and internationally significant ecosystem, and this new partnership will enhance conservation outcomes and visitor experience.”
– Ross Trotter
Photo credit: Andy McDonald
Pest Free Onetahua’s large-scale pest control to eliminate possums and hares, and control rats and stoats on Farewell Spit and the surrounding 12,000 ha is a vital part of the restoration project. Having successfully eliminated feral pigs from Onetahua/Farewell Spit, intensive trapping is now underway to tackle possums and hares.
A key part of the joint restoration project is the construction of a 3km predator-proof fence to protect native species from predators, and if the control efforts succeed the entire 2,000-hectare, 50km-long coastline could one day provide a safe haven for the translocation of endangered species.
DOC’s Senior Seabird Advisor, Graeme Taylor, has highlighted the site’s potential for threatened species of shorebirds, seabirds, and forest birds. “There’s even potential for burrowing seabirds to return to the stable dunes near the lighthouse at the end of the Spit,” says Taylor.
Community Open Day 22 March!
An open day to share this exciting development is being held at the HealthPost Nature Trust’s whare at Triangle Flat on Saturday, March 22 from 1pm-3pm.
