Environment – Protect what is left

Since people first arrived in this place we call home, Aotearoa, New Zealand, (Godzone?) The forest cover has reduced from 80 percent to 38 percent, one quarter of which is plantation forest with limited biodiversity. In addition, a shocking 90 percent of our wetlands are gone.

Of course significant change is inevitable, I’m not saying we need to attempt to return things to how they were before people lived here, we all need a home. However, I encourage you to consider how we can share our space with nature, and preserve what is left. 

Here on the Hibiscus Coast, we have a unique situation with examples of a nature-rich, pre-settlement-like land at the end of the peninsula, at Shakespear Regional Park, and across the water at Tiritiri Matangi Island. However as species thrive there, there will be pressure to fly the fence, and this is what those who are making the effort to ensure their properties are wildlife friendly want to see. 

I’m sure very few think that all our native species, especially the endemic ones only found here, should be hidden away on islands and in sanctuaries, clinging on in small numbers because nowhere else is left. But what awaits them as they move along the peninsula?

If projects like our Pest Free Hibiscus Coast (PFHC) continue to succeed, and more people begin trapping rats, possums and hedgehogs in their backyards, that will make a huge difference, and for some species will be essential. Birds like toutouwai, (North Island robins) and tīeke, (saddleback) simply can’t survive with ship rats and stoats. 

However, the peninsula will only see the ongoing recovery of our birds and reptiles if there is good habitat, places for them to feed and breed. In ecology we talk about stepping stones and wildlife corridors – at the moment these are strong in places, and community tree planting and weed control is growing them further. However, in many areas, these connections are at risk, the most recent question being around the future of Gulf Harbour Country Club. PFHC volunteers have been carrying out predator control on that land, with support from the club and members since 2015, clearing possums to zero for the last 15 months and removing thousands of rats each year. As a result of this and work done by enthusiastic club members to remove invasive weeds like moth plant, the trees and shrubs are full of flowers, fruits and the birdsong from over 40 species. The stunning coastal pohutukawa ecosystems and proximity to Shakespear mean that it might well be the most biodiverse golf course in Auckland. 

It’s an important connection, and the encumbrance imposed on the land should keep it safe, as we understood the club wanted. However the community has doubts, so we must be vigilant about this, and other areas where development just isn’t appropriate, so speak up, give nature a voice and give it space to thrive.

We invite you to create future wildlife habitat – join our planting day at Karaka Cove, Red Beach on August 20, 9.30am-12.30pm.