News • Southland Ecological Restoration Network

National Wetlands Symposium to be held in Southlan

Every second year the National Wetland Trust initiates the Wetland Restoration Symposium, alternating between the North and South Islands. Held in Christchurch four years ago, Southland is fortunate to be chosen as the second South Island venue, with the Symposium being planned from Wednesday 21st – Friday 23rd March. The Southland Wetland Working Party is organising the event, with field days planned to Awarua/Waituna Wetlands and Rakatu, western Southland. This is a great opportunity to hear about what is happening locally, as well as nationally, with wetlands restoration. For further details check out the National Wetland Trust website, www.wetlandtrust.org.nz. Be in quick for the earlybird special registration price until the end of January.

Posted on: Thursday, 19 January 2012

Endangered Haast Kiwi Released on Pomona Island

In late October, seven Haast Tokoeka were released on Pomona. This sub-species is listed as critically endangered and numbers around 370 birds in total. These birds are the first group of a planned population of 16 kiwi for the island. They form part of a distributed population based in three centres - Pomona Island, Coal Island in Preservation Inlet and Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Dunedin. The kiwi were transported to Pomona Island on the Meridian Energy vessel, Mararoa. DOC staff and Trustees fitted transmitters to all of the birds before they were released by students from Fiordland College and volunteers from the local community.

Posted on: Sunday, 13 November 2011

Environment Southland help look after Biodiversity

Environment Southland have set up a Southland Environmental Enhancement Fund which individual landowners or community groups can apply to for assistance in their work to protect biodiversity. Primarily aimed at biodiversity on private land, there is a fund of $30,000 available in this first year. An invitation has been sent out to landowners who have had an HVA (High Value Area) survey done to help progress reccommendations made in those reports towards the enhancement of these areas. However the fund is open to anyone interested in protecting biodiversity in the region. For further information contact Tim Riding, Biosecurity Officer, ES, at [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] or check it out on the Environment Southland website, www.es.govt.nz.

Posted on: Sunday, 16 October 2011

Bushy Point Restoration takes a big leap forward

Thanks to the Rugby World Cup Living Legends team, the Otatara Landcare Group’s restoration project at Bushy Point has achieved in one day what they hoped to do in five years. On Sunday 11th September over 200 people came to help plant 5,000 locally sourced and grown native plants to finally bridge the gap between the two remnants of forest on the western edge of the estuary. This project resulted from a report to Invercargill City Council in 1998 by David Norton, recommending that the best ecological outcome for this area would be to restore the corridor between these two areas. He noted that the forest present here was nationally significant, being podocarp forest on sanddunes, rarely found around the coast of NZ. A great effort by the Living Legends team and OLG.

Posted on: Monday, 12 September 2011

Environment Southland Recognises Restoration Work

There was a prestigious gathering of Southlanders involved in restoration work across the Southland Plains at the recent ES annual Environment Awards. Congratulations to all those people/groups who were put forward for the Awards, but especially those that took out the top place for their extra special work. Congratulations to Brian and Chris Rance for winning the Individual Award, for their work with the Community Nursery and the Otatara Landcare Group; to the Oraka-Aparima Runaka’s Raratoka Project for the Community Group Award; the Commercial Award went to Southern Discoveries for their support of the Sinbad Sanctuary Project; and the School’s Award to Fiordland College and their Kids Restore the Kepler project.

Posted on: Wednesday, 13 July 2011

Page 24 of 29