The Forest Bridge Trust – Connecting through pekapeka

The Forest Bridge Trust has completed the Rodney Pekapeka Project, a large-scale community bat monitoring initiative that is helping build a clearer picture of where New Zealand’s elusive native bats are found across the Rodney district.

Led by Forest Bridge Trust ecologist Dr Virginia Moreno, and funded by the Rodney Local Board and Auckland Council, the project launched in January and has already delivered significant insights into Pekapeka tou-roa (long-tailed bats) presence across the region. Over the past four months, more than 150 bat surveys have been completed across Rodney, stretching from Kaukapakapa through to Pakiri. The surveys combined the efforts of Forest Bridge Trust staff, volunteers and conservation community groups who took part in a series of workshops focused on pekapeka monitoring and conservation.

Three community workshops were held across Rodney, where participants learned about native bats, how acoustic bat monitors work and how to safely carry out surveys in their areas. Community groups were then provided with audio monitoring devices to deploy in forests, wetlands, reserves and rural landscapes across the district.

Once returned, the recordings were analysed by Dr Moreno, with results revealing bat detections at 32 survey locations.

Some of the most exciting findings came from the Tamahunga area, where pekapeka activity was recorded across several sites, including Rata Bush, Govan Wilson Road, Omaha Valley Road near the edge of the Tamahunga DOC reserve, the Schollum Road to Rodney Road public track, along Rodney Road itself, and near the northern edge of Tamahunga along the summit track and Te Araroa Trail.

One standout discovery was a hotspot of activity within an old pine plantation, where monitors recorded more than 100 bat detections in a single night, highlighting the importance of retaining suitable roosting and foraging habitat within modified landscapes.

Bat detections were also confirmed near the DOC reserve in Kaukapakapa, adding to growing evidence that pekapeka are present across a wider area of Rodney than previously understood.

Pekapeka tou-roa (long-tailed bats) are one of only two native land mammals in Aotearoa and are classified as Nationally Critical. Threats, including habitat loss, predation and artificial light pollution, continue to place pressure on populations nationwide.

In April, four members of the Forest Bridge Trust attended the National Pekapeka Hui in Franklin, joining more than 180 ecologists, iwi representatives, researchers, community groups and conservation practitioners. The hui provided an important opportunity to share findings from the Rodney Pekapeka Project, connect with other bat conservation initiatives, and learn from national approaches to monitoring and protection. Dr Moreno also presented early insights from Rodney, helping contribute to a growing national picture of pekapeka distribution and research.

The project has highlighted the value of community-led conservation and provided a strong foundation for future pekapeka research and protection efforts across Rodney. Dr Moreno says community involvement across such a large landscape has been invaluable, with the early findings revealing there is still much to learn about where pekapeka are found in the region.