Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust
This volunteer group manages 250 hectares of native forest in the Kaimai-Mamaku Conservation Park, between Tauranga and Katikati. The Trust was set up in 2006 by Tauranga Forest and Bird and the Katikati Rotary Club and is supported by local volunteers, landowners and Ngai Tamawhariua who have the Kaitiaki role over this forest.
Giant insects flourishing with rat control. Stick insect 22cm long
The aim of the project is to restore the wildlife and plant life of a part of the Conservation Park. To achieve this, volunteers are doing pest control which involves poisoning ship rats and possums. Ship rats raid bird nests for eggs and fledglings and eat native lizards and invertebrates. They attract stoats and feral cats to the forest too. Possums raid bird nests as well as eating vegetation. They have eaten so much vegetation that their favourite plants are now gone or going: tree fuchsia and broadleaf are gone, raukaua, tree rata and kamahi are dead or dying and kohekohe is under attack. With all these holes in the forest canopy, wind is knocking over the tall tawa trees.
The forest needs new seedlings and saplings but these are being eaten by
deer. It is a sorry story and reflects the lack of pest control by the
Department of Conservation.
But the pest control by the Trust is already making a difference. Numbers of
birds are increasing. As you walk the loop track, you can hear the bird song
in the area where rats are being controlled. You won't see them but insects
and spiders have increased hugely both in species and in numbers, which
means more food for the birds. We hope that the low numbers of rats is
discouraging stoats and feral cats.
Possums numbers were very high when we started. Over two nights 1500 possums were killed with cyanide. Now the possums are being controlled using vitamin D3 as a poison. Dogs are susceptible to this poison, so don't bring your dog into the forest. With fewer possums, new green shoots and leaves are appearing on kamahi and kohekohe.
Our volunteers have cut 50 kilometres of lines and put up 1000 bait
stations. We have workdays on two or three weekends in September, November, February and May. It's fun walking the tracks with a bag of bait, the company is great and we're helping bring the forest back to health.
Would you like to volunteer?
Contact Information:
Email: tauranga.branch@forestandbird.org.nz
Phone: John Howard- 07 549 3238 or Basil Graeme- 07 576 5593
Mail: Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust, PO Box 13102, Tauranga
