Auckland Council has released a plan to reopen tracks in the Waitākere ranges, endorsing principles agreed with iwi Te Kawerau a Maki that support both a rāhui and science based biosecurity.
The iwi placed the rāhui in December 2017 in response to the emergence of kauri dieback disease in the ranges along Auckland’s west coast.
The plan has the backing of the Tree Council, Waitākere Ranges Protection Society and Forest & Bird, but it’s concerned the council is overlooking the condition of the tracks that are still open.
Tree Council secretary Dr Mels Barton says those tracks have been used extensively over the past year, but they are not in the council’s work plan to be maintained at a dry foot standard, as is part of the agreement made with Te Kawerau a Maki.
The principles behind the plan include protecting healthy kauri ecosystem, focusing recreation around the coastline and low risk areas on the edge of the forest, and only opening tracks once they are agreed to have met the high standards required to protect kauri.
!["p_facebook"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/facebook.jpg")
& !["p_twitter"]("/site/uma/images/story_img/twitter.jpg")
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
