October 02, 2020
Dirt bike damage to heritage wetland
Volunteers on the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands project have discovered uprooted plants on an area of the reserve near a recently-closed dirt bike track.
The project, which is backed by Rangitāne o Wairarapa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, the Department of Conservation and local and regional councils, aims to restore wetland plants to the lake’s shoreline.
South Wairarapa’s wetlands were last month granted international status under the Ramsar convention, which means they must be managed under the convention's guidelines, monitor them, and report back to the convention.
Late year South Wairarapa District Council closed the track after more than a kilometre of double-width track was graded for dirt bikes without a consent or consulting iwi or the department.
Greater Wellington Regional Council spokesperson Matthew O’Driscoll says vehicles can damage the wetland habitats and disturb wildlife, and future offenders could be charged for breaches of the Resource Management Act.
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