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A new conservation effort is taking flight across Rodney, as The Forest Bridge Trust (TFBT) begins an ambitious programme to better understand and ultimately protect one of Aotearoa’s most elusive native species – the long-tailed bat, or pekapeka tou-roa.
Backed by funding from Auckland Council and the Rodney Local Board, TFBT is rolling out two major projects aimed at uncovering where these threatened mammals live, how they use their habitat and how local communities can help turn the tide for a species that is seldom seen, but plays a vital role in New Zealand’s ecosystems.
Listening for life in the dark
One project, led by TFBT ecologist Virginia Moreno, focuses on surveying the Tamahunga Ecological Area, an expanse of native forest and private land near Matakana, that holds significant conservation value, but remains largely unstudied for bats.
Using 40 automatic bat recorders, Moreno and her team are deploying devices across forest edges, clearings and streams, both within Department of Conservation land and on neighbouring private properties.
The recorders detect the ultrasonic calls pekapeka make as they fly and forage, allowing researchers to identify not only whether bats are present, but also where they are most active.
The recorders were in place for around 14 days during the breeding season (November and December), with a repeat survey planned for next month to track how the bats’ habitat use changes over summer.
“The results will give us a far clearer picture of the local population,” Moreno says. “We’ll be able to understand if bats are present in the area, how they move through the landscape and which parts of the forest are most important for them.”
Empowering the community
The second project takes a wider view, working directly with communities across Rodney to increase awareness of pekapeka and expand monitoring efforts beyond Tamahunga.
TFBT will support local groups to survey their own areas using automatic bat recorders, providing training on both the devices and best-practice monitoring methods. The goal is to build a district-wide picture of where bats are living, while encouraging residents to help protect their habitat.
“Many people don’t realise we have native bats in Rodney at all. Upskilling communities means more eyes, and particularly ears, on the ground and that’s essential for long-term conservation.”
A threatened taonga
Pekapeka tou-roa are one of just two land-based native mammals in New Zealand, making them a unique and precious species. Endemic and highly threatened, they are classified as nationally critical – the same threat ranking as kākāpō.
Their biggest dangers come from habitat loss, particularly old-growth trees used for roosting, and from introduced predators such as mustelids, cats and dogs. Although they are found across both main islands and can live in forests, rural areas and even some urban spaces, scientists still know surprisingly little about their population size and behaviour.
Recent years have seen an increase in research, but many areas such as Rodney remain under-surveyed.
Why Tamahunga matters
While pekapeka have been detected in parts of northern Auckland, including more frequently surveyed forests such as Riverhead and the Dome, the Tamahunga Ecological Area has long been something of a blank spot on the bat map.
Yet the area contains significant pockets of mature forest and old-growth trees, which are prime roosting habitat. Because it includes both DOC land and private properties, coordinated monitoring has been crucial.
“Understanding whether bats are using Tamahunga will help determine how we can best protect and restore the habitat they depend on.”
As the recorders click on at dusk and the forest slips into darkness, the hope is that the ultrasonic chatter of pekapeka will reveal itself, offering new insights into a species that has remained hidden for too long, and researchers hope it could mark the beginning of a brighter future.
