August 06, 2020
Pests targeted on landscape scale
Waikato Regional Council has shared $1.6 million among five groups committed to pest eradication and protecting biodiversity on a landscape scale.
The areas include Karioi near Raglan, Moehau at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula, Kennedy Bay, the Whenuakite Kiwi Care Project and the Mokaihaha Kokako Project.
Community Restoration Committee chair Fred Litchwark says all the projects are collaborations between many parties, including landowners, Māori, the Department of Conservation, communities, councils and local businesses, and all include volunteer labour ranging from 300 to 6000 hours a year.
He says he has seen the impact where he lives near Mount Karioi.
"I’ve seen the mutton birds come back, or the oi. What was on this mountain a decade ago was goats and possums, that was the biodiversity, goats, possums, rats and a few cows. Now wood pigeon, the kākā are flying in, waxeyes, grey warbler, it's just great and I just really encourage a lot more groups to get it together to do this work because nobody else is going to do it," Mr Litchwark says.
Normally one group a year gets funded, so he’s pleased to see more groups stepping up.
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