Forest & Bird Magazine 355 Feb 2015 by Forest & Bird

ISSUE 355 • FEBRUARY 2015 www.forestandbird.org.nz

Return of the loggers DOC’s role in bush milling revealed

PLUS

Editor who ‘walks the talk’

Frittering the whitebait away

1080: Restoring our dawn chorus

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ISSUE 355

• February 2015

Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. Chief Executive: Hōne McGregor Group Manager Fundraising and Membership (interim): Katherine Monks Group Manager Corporate Services: Julie Watson Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy: Kevin Hackwell Group Manager Conservation and Volunteers: Chris Todd Group Manager Marketing and Communications: Phil Bilbrough General Counsel Legal: Peter Anderson Central Office: Level 1, 90 Ghuznee St, Wellington. PO Box 631, Wellington 6140. Tel: (04) 385-7374, Fax: (04) 385-7373 Email: office@forestandbird.org.nz Web: www.forestandbird.org.nz Auckland Office: 34A Charlotte Street, Eden Tce, Auckland, PO Box 108 055, Symonds St, Auckland 1150. Tel: (09) 302-0203, Fax: (09) 303-4548 Email: n.beveridge@forestandbird.org.nz Christchurch Office: Unit 4/Level 1, 245 St Asaph St, Christchurch. PO Box 2516, Christchurch 8140. Tel: (03) 940-5523 Email: j.miller@forestandbird.org.nz Forest & Bird is a registered charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005. Registration No. CC26943.

FEBRUARY EDITOR: Susan Arthur MAGAZINE INQUIRIES AND LETTERS:

E editor@forestandbird.org.nz ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER:

Rob Di Leva, Dileva Design E rob@dileva.co.nz PREPRESS/PRINTING:

Tiaki Taiao www.forestandbird.org.nz

Contents 2 Editorial 4 Letters 5 50 years ago 6 Conservation news

Hōne looks forward, Pelorus Bridge bats, Celebrity kākāpō, Seabird of the Year, DOC’s “mission creep”, Hard sell on RMA, Ruataniwha decision, Photo competition

Cover story

Amazing facts about ….

Native mussels

Return of the loggers

NZ termites

In the field

Our Partners

Community conservation

Frittering our whitebait away

Where have all the young ones gone?

Go Green Expo returns

Battle for our birds

1080 key to restoring dawn chorus

KCC grown-up

Tim Park

Ōtawa frogs, Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Peninsula pests, Manawatū walks and trail, Naturepath bid, Cat traps

Our People

Book reviews

A climate for change

Innovative farm thinking

Professor Penguin, Land of Birds, A Photographic Guide to Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand, Buller’s Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans, Some Notes on the Brown Kiwi of Taranaki, Hope on Earth

Going places

Parting shot

Marina Skinner, Jocelyn Bieleski, Arthur Cowan, Catherine Sintenie, Kimberley Collins

Chasing Grey Ghosts

The Asiatic whimbrel by Alex L. Scott

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Karen Condon T 0275 420 338 E mack.cons@xtra.co.nz Membership & Circulation T 0800 200 064 F (04) 385-7373 E membership@forestandbird.org.nz

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Forest & Bird would like to

COVER SHOT A South Island robin by Rod Morris – www.rodmorris.co.nz

for their ongoing support

thank Honda New Zealand

editorial

We’re changing focus to the bigger picture

Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. (Founded 1923) Registered Office at Level One, 90 Ghuznee Street, Wellington. PATRON: His Excellency

Tēnā koutou, Summer holidays are a time when New Zealand families reconnect. Many of us travel long distances to gather in large groups with parents and siblings, to share news and stories of the year past and to recharge the batteries for the year ahead. Every year many species, particularly seabirds and marine mammals, also cross vast distances on migration paths that are millennia old, to gather in large family groups at breeding sites or feeding grounds. In the natural world connections are not choices or holidays; they are matters of life and death. Populations of plants and animals that aren’t connected, that are isolated on small pockets of land or in small marine or freshwater ecosystems, are extremely vulnerable to crises such as fire, drought, pest irruptions, human incursion and hunting, or changing climate. In the 21st century more and more plants and animals are finding themselves isolated or restricted in their habitats, and thereby more vulnerable to actual or functional extinction. Over the past century conservationists have often focused on protecting or preserving the smallest things: remnant patches of bush, pockets of coastline or surviving populations of birds. In New Zealand this is reflected in Forest & Bird’s network of small reserves and local branch projects. Nationally our largest parks are in mountains and remote areas and on offshore islands, with few large reserves in fertile lowland areas, and few connections between them. Most obviously we lack a network of marine reserves, with those that exist being small and isolated from each other. If we are to prevent widespread extinctions in our lifetime the current paradigm has to change, and we need to work toward creating networks of large-scale protected areas, designed around ecosystems and the movement of species, not local or national boundaries. Creating and then effectively managing large-scale reserves, on land or at sea, is challenging. It can be expensive, may involve many landowners, traditional users, and different national governments. A focus on larger scale conservation will also mean a paradigm shift for Forest & Bird. We will need to move beyond a focus on local branch projects to working more often on regional or national projects, and through the national office with international partners. Seabirds nesting in Kaikoura or Miranda on the Firth of Thames may be roosting or feeding on sites hundreds of kilometres away and then migrating across the Pacific to feed in an estuary in North Asia. When we think of conservation in this way it is obvious that branch boundaries are as invisible to wildlife as national ones. Lastly size and connectivity is important in the social and organisational sense. An organisation with a large and diverse membership, that welcomes and values diversity, has a greater chance of success in the long term. If we start thinking in this way we will build a resilient society and a resilient environment. It’s a goal worth pursuing.

Lieutenant General the Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, GovernorGeneral of New Zealand NATIONAL PRESIDENT:

Andrew Cutler DEPUTY PRESIDENT:

Mark Hanger NATIONAL TREASURER:

Graham Bellamy CONSERVATION AMBASSADORS:

Sir Alan Mark, Gerry McSweeney, Craig Potton BOARD MEMBERS:

Brent Barrett, Lindsey Britton, Kate Graeme, Tony Dunlop, Ines Stager, Jon Wenham DISTINGUISHED LIFE MEMBERS:

Bill Ballantine, Stan Butcher, Ken Catt, Linda Conning, Audrey Eagle, Alan Edmonds, Gordon Ell, Stewart Gray, Philip Hart, Joan Leckie, Hon. Sandra Lee-Vercoe, Carole Long, Peter Maddison, Sir Alan Mark, Gerry McSweeney, Margaret Peace, Eugenie Sage, Guy Salmon, Lesley Shand, Gordon Stephenson, David Underwood

Forest & Bird is published quarterly by the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. Forest & Bird is a member of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and is the New Zealand partner of BirdLife International. • Opinions expressed by contributors in the magazine are not necessarily those of Forest & Bird.

Ka kite anō

Andrew Cutler Forest & Bird President

Forest & Bird AGM The 2015 Annual General Meeting and Council meeting will be on 27-28 June at the Comfort Hotel, 213 Cuba St, Wellington. More information at 04 385 7374 or office@forestandbird.org.nz

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letters Forest & Bird welcomes your feedback on conservation topics. Please send letters up to 200 words, with your name, home address and daytime phone number. We don’t always have space to publish all letters or publish them in full. The best contribution to the Letters page of the next edition will win a copy of Buller’s Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans, by Geoff Norman (Te Papa Press, $59.99). Please send letters to Editor, Forest & Bird magazine, PO Box 631, Wellington 6140, or e-mail editor@forestandbird.org.nz by April 1.

Ring of steel helps tīeke I would like to respond to Paul Stanley Ward’s wonderful feature “Singing the Kōkako’ s Praises” (November Forest & Bird). Paul’s question “are such encounters possible in urban environments?” has partly been answered, though not, alas, by the call of kōkako. I recently helped set up a community restoration project in Wellington’s Polhill Reserve. Polhill is next to Zealandia – the first fenced sanctuary on the mainland – and as Paul notes kākā, tīeke and toutouwai are already spilling over into “our” reserve. Our group, in partnership with the council, has taken over predator control, increasing its frequency and the number of traps. The group has attracted many keen volunteers, all of whom now feel a strong sense of kaitiakitanga towards the reserve and its birds. We were rewarded this spring by the discovery of a saddleback (tīeke) nest in the reserve. In response we surrounded the nest with additional traps – creating a veritable ring of steel. This proved successful, catching two rats and allowing our tīeke to fledge two healthy juveniles. They are now banded and at large in the reserve – bolstering Wellington’s tīeke population and proving that rare species can be restored to the mainland with the right combination of support, advice and dedication from volunteers. I should add that Paul is one of those volunteers and has paid special attention to these new arrivals, taking some wonderful photographs to record this historic event. Maybe in a few years we can reintroduce kōkako back to Wellington’s more mature bush too. Marc Slade, Wellington Polhill Restoration Project co-ordinator, This letter is the winner of Tuatara by Alison Cree

A saddleback nest has been discovered in Wellington’s Polhill Reserve. Photo: davidhallet.co.nz 4

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Photo: Les Stone/Greenpeace

Elephants in the room I commend Andrew Cutler for his November 2014 editorial in which he states that Forest & Bird “accepts the evidence from the scientific community” in relation to anthropogenic causes of global warming. We need to base our actions on science and facts. I do, however, question the validity of linking by implication, solutions to global problems such as climate change with the great work that organisations like Forest & Bird and DOC do to arrest and in some cases reverse the effects of our nation’s activities that have led to our own terrible environmental record. Having accepted that global warming is due to anthropogenic activity, then surely it is scientific fact-based global solutions that must be considered. The elephants in this room are nuclear power and geo-engineering. We cannot ignore these elephants and continue to discuss renewable energy and sound environmental stewardship as if they are somehow the ultimate solution. Pretending that moving to these will somehow solve climate warming is irrational with the world population at current or increased levels. If we are to be ethical and not cowardly we cannot only look at the New Zealand situation when discussing global environmental issues as we have a uniquely fortunate position. We need to closely examine the bare facts relating to global power production options. Nuclear power is well understood and right now is probably the only viable solution as a replacement for fossil-fuel-derived energy. I doubt geo-engineering is well understood by most people and in my view it is the most frightening to contemplate. Due to global antipathy and inaction it could well be a means that our species resorts to in the end and potentially without sufficient knowledge to do so. I urge F&B members to become as educated as possible on the two elephants I have mentioned. I hope this letter might stimulate some fact-based discussion on the subject. Allan Brown, Christchurch

Backyard delight It is encouraging when there is a backyard story in the magazine, especially for those of us unable to take part in more strenuous activities but who still wish to do our bit in our own small way. A great example was the Margaret Willis story (August Forest & Bird), showing how an unlikely and very small area on her property was amazingly transformed into an attractive leafy haven for nature. In my own garden I had raised vege plots set in bark pathways. What delight to notice that I was often being observed by beady-eyed skinks before they scuttled to safety. The bark obviously was a nice habitat for them. A bird feeder hanging from a tree outside the kitchen window was always entertaining. I noticed that sugar water was all that interested the tūī, other than halved pears. After the blackbirds and silvereyes had rendered the pear flesh to mush, the tūī would descend and vacuum up the syrup from the bottom of the pear shell. Barbara Nicholas, Golden Bay

In defence of fracking

WIN A BOOK Forest & Bird is giving away three copies of Professor Penguin: Discovery and Adventure with Penguins by Lloyd Spencer Davis (Random House, $39.99). To enter the draw, email your entry to draw@ forestandbird.org.nz Please put Professor Penguin in the subject line and include your name and address in the email. Or put your name and address on the back of an envelope and post to Professor Penguin draw, Forest & Bird, PO Box 631, Wellington 6140. Entries close on April 3.

The winners from the November edition of Forest & Bird of copies of Our Big Blue Backyard by Janet Hunt are: Stephanie Tibble (Titahi Bay), Bob Graham (Hokitika), Dorothy van den Hoven (Tauranga). Your books will be posted.

Stating that in an oil well any gas is flared off as waste, is not the industry’s best practice. On projects I’ve worked on producing oil, the gas has been used to power turbines and make electricity, and surplus gas is re-injected into the reservoir to keep the pressure up which helps with gas lift – the gas helps move the oil to the surface, and increases the oil able to be recovered. This is good stewardship of the reservoir. I’m a keen Forest & Bird supporter who has worked in oil and gas for years. The oil industry’s and your acceptance for aquifer pollution because of drilling is zero and rightly so. There has never been a case (to my knowledge) of fracking producing pollution in New Zealand. It is too big a subject to develop here, but a level search of the internet will help explain most queries. Otherwise contact me and I’ll email you a brief explanation on how fracking fluid in NZ is separated from any water aquifer (tomodnz@gmail.com).

Sentiments supported

Tom O’Donnell, Wanaka

Jacqueline Hemmingson, Wellington

50 years ago

Gillian Pollock in her letter (November Forest & Bird) appears to have misunderstood my letter (August Forest & Bird) supporting a closer relationship between Maori and Forest & Bird. I strongly support the sentiments she expresses in the second paragraph of her letter [that the descendants of European settlers must accept responsibility for dealing with pest animals and plants] and have acted accordingly for many years.

Rat infestation of the muttonbird islands At the recent meeting of the [Forest & Bird] National Council the President reported that the rat infestation of the muttonbird islands was very serious indeed, some rare species of birds being threatened with extinction. Efforts had been made by [the] Wildlife Branch to transfer some of these to nearby islands not infested by rats, it being considered impossible to destroy all the rats on the infested islands because of the rugged nature of the land. A large quantity of suitable poison supplied by the Wildlife Branch, as well as a considerable quantity supplied by our Society, was distributed by members of the Southland Section under the leadership of the Chairman, Mr. Henderson. The work carried out by the party under arduous conditions merits the highest praise. It is the intention of the party to make further efforts at the appropriate time. Forest & Bird, February 1965

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conservation

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Looking forward to Forest & Bird’s 92nd year ... and beyond Hōne McGregor, Chief Executive/Kaiwhakahaere Matua of Forest & Bird’s professional body, looks at what’s ahead in 2015.

ēnā koutou Last year ended for Forest & Bird with a great win at the High Court as part of our effort to protect the Hawke’s Bay’s Tukituki River from being polluted by all the dairy conversions that would follow the construction of the Ruataniwha irrigation dam. Without the right rules in place, that is a real risk. (You can read more about it on page 15.) The win was a great way to round off an extremely busy and successful year. But our work on Ruataniwha is not over, and there are also plenty of other threats – and opportunities – on the horizon. Advocating for more predator control – for the sake of both our wildlife and wild places – will continue to be a

big part of what we do. The potential for last year’s heavy beech seeding event to cause yet more extinctions was met by the Department of Conservation’s unprecedented aerial 1080 campaign (see page 28). But DOC had to pay for this extraordinary operation out of its already severely depleted funds. Moreover, the gains made by the “Battle for Our Birds” will be lost if the level of predator control is allowed to slump back to its pre-2014 levels. One of Forest & Bird’s immediate priorities is to try to make sure that does not happen. Given we are now officially on the way to freeing New Zealand from the incredible burden of its introduced predators, it would show a real failure on the government’s part not to increase DOC’s funding accordingly.

We will also advocate for DOC to finish the job it started decades ago of classifying – and so properly protecting – all the land it is tasked with managing. Photo: davidhallet.co.nz 6

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This year we will also be continuing to advocate for DOC to finish the job it started decades ago of classifying – and so properly protecting – all the land it is tasked with managing. The sad story of the Denniston Plateau (which is stewardship land) tells you why. We will also be working to stop the current trend towards allowing destructive multiple uses of public conservation land. The rush to create special legislation to allow windblown trees to be removed from West Coast forests is one example of this (see page 18). The ongoing rush to sell off the rights to frack, drill and mine the conservation estate is another. There’s nothing wrong with mixing conservation and commerce, but what makes our conservation estate what it is – the ecosystems that are its foundation – must never be compromised. Forest & Bird will also continue to fight the petroleum rights sell-off on the basis that if we are to stay within a global average temperature rise of only two degrees, mankind can burn no more than a third of our already proven reserves of coal and oil. It is a dangerous folly to be searching for and using more fossil fuel resources. On a more positive note, we will also be working with a raft of other groups to create a marine spatial plan for the Hauraki Gulf. This is a pioneering piece of work, which brings together all those who have an interest in the gulf – conservationists, recreationalists, iwi, fishers and businesses – to come up with a plan that works in the interests of all. It may seem ambitious, but all the parties are committed to making it work. It’s an idea that could be usefully applied elsewhere around the country too. In terms of Forest & Bird itself, this year we will be supporting the development of regional clusters among our branches. There’s always strength in numbers, and I’m sure this will give Forest & Bird an edge when advocating for nature at a regional level. Given our ecosystems are all linked, it also makes sense for us to consider how Forest & Bird’s individual reserves, pest control projects and other initiatives can tie in with each other to improve the overall outcome for nature. An obvious example of this is the development of nature corridors between our Ark in the Park and some of the significant bird areas north of Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. This year you will also have some new options for getting involved in conservation, such as through online networks like Forest & Bird’s new climate change group. To join, just search on Facebook for “Forest & Bird Carbon Group”, and contact the page administrator. We’ll also be implementing Forest & Bird’s youth strategy, through both the Kiwi Conservation Club and the wider organisation. This is aimed at making sure people of all ages – and multiple generations of the same families – can be a part of Forest & Bird. During the first half of this year we will update the organisation’s strategic plan, which will then see us through to 2020. Finally, there will also be some new faces at Forest & Bird’s offices around the motu. We’re expanding the communications, fundraising, advocacy and conservation teams. This will enable us to work with our members and supporters to speak up with an even louder voice for nature in the years and decades ahead. Mauri ora Hōne McGregor

RobeRt C bRuCe tRust 2015 Grants Perpetual Guardian, as Trustee for the Robert C Bruce Trust is calling for applications for the 2015 Grants. The Trust provides grants for research work and projects relating to forests and afforestation on public land. Applications will be considered from organisations and individuals. Further information and application forms are available from the Trustee: Phone: 06 953 6130 Email: palmerstonnorth@pgtrust.co.nz Perpetual Guardian PO Box 628 Palmerston North 4440 Closing date for applications is 31 March 2015.

perpetualguardian.co.nz

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Predator control saves bats Have you ever asked yourself if trapping and baiting predators really could be an alternative to using aerial 1080? The experience of Forest & Bird’s Top of the South Regional Conservation and Volunteer Manager Debs Martin and the volunteers helping protect bats from predators in Marlborough’s Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve, may add a little perspective on that. Like many other parts of the South Island, rat levels in the reserve are at higher levels than anyone has seen before because of last year’s heavy beech seeding. Usually about 200 rats would be caught in the reserve each year. In late December 100 a week were being caught. In July last year the rat tracking tunnels in the reserve were returning numbers around 50 per cent. Debs says if no predator control had been done, tracking numbers would have been around 90 per cent by January. Average numbers are remaining higher than normal though, with monitoring tunnels tracking rats at 30 per cent. Aerial 1080 is not an option because the 140-hectare reserve is split between five areas, has a highway running through it, a cafe, and receives 500 visitors a day. But ground-based predator control is essential because the reserve is home to a large number of endangered

native long-tailed bats. This work began four years ago. The recovery project’s volunteers have worked hard throughout that time, but lately they have been working overtime – or would be if they were getting paid – to stay on top of the predator problem. Members have been putting in a total of 30 hours each week, just checking ‘traplines’ through the forest twice a week. And they’ve been spending 16 hours a week checking the reserve’s bait stations. Already, $3000 has been spent since October on bait alone. This combination of trapping and baiting is providing a vital line of defence from the rats, and the stoats that eat the rats – and then the native wildlife, once the rats are gone – in beech mast years. Because the area is relatively small and the Bat Recovery Project has such enthusiastic volunteers, and because most of them live relatively close to Pelorus Bridge and are experienced in the outdoors, the predator control job at Pelorus Bridge is being successfully done from the ground. Bat numbers are monitored using automatic bat detectors each night, and so far the bats are surviving. But it has taken a huge amount of energy and time, almost all of which has been given freely. Debs also reports that the Top of the South project work on D’Urville Island to establish how many bats are living there and what they need to be protected from, is going well. With BioFunds funding, and working alongside the D’Urville Island Stoat Eradication Charitable Trust, the Department of Conservation, and local iwi, there is a plan to capture and put radio tags on some of the animals to find out where they roost. However it is clear already that they are roosting on both private and public land on the island. Work to secure this nationally critical species from extinction requires a concerted effort – and Debs Martin says the partnerships formed in this endeavour will leave the longtailed bats in good stead. Numbers of the long-tailed bats are monitored using automatic bat detectors each night. Photo: Colin O’Donnell, DOC

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Kākāpō celebrity turns one The kākāpō chick Lisa One was an international celebrity last year when he hatched from a crushed egg fixed with tape and glue. Now Lisa One – he will get a proper name soon – is a handsome one-year-old and a notable success story for the Kākāpō Recovery Programme. His egg was found partly crushed in the nest of his mother Lisa in February last year. Senior kākāpō ranger Jo Ledington ingeniously repaired the egg with tape and glue. Lisa One hatched several days later on February 28 on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, the first kākāpō chick born since 2011 and the first of six to hatch in 2014. Kākāpō only breed every two to four years, depending on supplies of rimu fruit, so every egg counts. The breeding population of the world’s heaviest and only flightless parrot is divided between Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, off Stewart Island, Anchor Island in southwest Fiordland, and Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The Kākāpō Recovery Programme started in 1990, when the population was just 49 birds, as a partnership between Forest & Bird, the Department of Conservation and New Zealand Aluminium Smelters. The total number of kakapo has now risen to 126.

1 1 Lisa One will get a proper name soon.

Photo: A Digby

2 The egg fixed with tape and glue.

TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND - Wildlife Sanctuary

Enjoy an exhilarating day trip to this world renowned Wildlife Sanctuary. Tiritiri Matangi is home to some of the rarest species of New Zealand flora and fauna, and a must do trip for both locals and visitors alike.

Cruises depart downtown Auckland. To find out more and book, visit 360discovery.co.nz or call 09 307 8005

conservation

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Meet New Zealand’s Seabird of the Year By most measures, having fewer than 50 individuals is no sign of strength in a species. Unless perhaps that species is competing in a popularity contest, in which case extreme vulnerability is a real vote winner. As soon as voting opened in this year’s Seabird of the Year poll, the fairy tern went straight into the lead, as hundreds of voters backed it as the bird they wanted to see come out on top. However once news got out that the Fiji petrel was a candidate, hundreds of Fijians (Google tells us where people voted from) swung in behind “their” bird. The Fiji petrel is a tabu, or taonga, species in Fiji. And because Fiji has been overrun by introduced predators, like New Zealand (and like the fairy tern), fewer than 50 Fiji petrel remain. The lead swapped almost daily between the two birds, right up till the end of competition. The other birds in the poll – many of which are far more familiar to most New Zealanders or Fijians than either the fairy tern or the Fiji petrel – lagged far behind. These included the redbilled gull, which despite being a part of picnic folklore is becoming increasingly rare. Perhaps familiarity breeds a little contempt. In the end the fickle pendulum of popularity swung slightly towards the fairy tern, and it was crowned Seabird of the Year with 1882 votes. The Fiji petrel finished with 1801 votes. The little blue penguin won third place with 563 votes. Does the fairy tern’s win mean New Zealand is finally ready to live up to its duty of care for the bird? If so, it may be too late; though plenty of work is already being done to save the species. Voluntary sentries guard the terns’ four nesting sites in Northland, and Forest & Bird has built an artificial nesting site on the shores of Kaipara Harbour. Even if the fairy tern is starting to get the care it is due, there are plenty of other seabirds that urgently require action on their behalf. New Zealand has more responsibilities in this regard than most other countries, as more than one-third of the world’s seabird species spend at least some of their lives inside our territory. Thirty-six of those species only breed in New Zealand. And nearly half

Thank you Thank you to all who generously gave to the Christmas Seabird appeal. As at December 2014, nearly $50,000 had been raised to protect our precious seabirds. Your support gives endangered seabirds a fighting chance and helps to cover a wide range of work being done by Forest & Bird. Some of the work includes advocating for marine Important Bird Area (mIBA) information to be

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the 86 seabirds that breed in New Zealand are threatened with extinction. There are many threats to seabirds, including terrestrial predators, getting caught in fishing gear, and potential spills from deep sea oil drilling. For instance, modelling by Chris Gaskin, Forest & Bird and Greenpeace shows a blow out in the Tasman Sea could cover the feeding grounds of the endemic Cooks Petrel (the birds nest on Little Barrier Island/Hauturu, but feed in the Tasman). Forest & Bird has run a Bird of the Year competition for several years. But this year a Seabird of the Year competition was held in recognition of the fact that New Zealand enjoys such a diverse range of seabirds. Through the work done as part of the Important Bird Areas report, we now know which parts of the country need to be protected for these birds’ sake. The report was written by Important Bird Areas project co-ordinator Chris Gaskin. You can find it by searching under “important bird areas” on our website. 1 The fairy tern has been

crowned Seabird of the Year with 1882 votes. Photo: davidhallet.co.nz

2 Hundreds of Fijians swung

in behind “their” bird, the Fiji petrel. Photo: The Tubenoses Project © H. Shirihai

incorporated into the Department of Conservation’s regional Conservation Management Strategies and encouraging landowners, Forest & Bird branches and community groups to protect local mIBAs. Forest & Bird is working with industry, government, other charities and researchers to find solutions to the issue of by-catch for black petrels, and it is on the Seabird Advisory Group which monitors progress on the 2013 National Plan of Action for Seabirds’ implementation.

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DOC must act to stop ‘mission creep’ Forest & Bird was one of the organisations that campaigned hard in the early 1980s for the creation of a department of conservation that incorporated parts of the Department of Lands & Survey, the New Zealand Forest Service, and the Wildlife Service. A big part of the reason we did so was that the Department of Lands & Survey was not only managing our national parks and reserves, but also clearing native forests and other habitats as part of its farm development function. Similarly, the then Forest Service, which had a mandate both to manage the commercial logging of native forests and to conserve them, wasn’t doing the latter particularly well. In 1987 the new Department of Conservation was the first of its kind in the world to be given a sole mandate to manage – for conservation purposes – the country’s conservation land and all other natural and historic resources. Now, in 2015, there are signs that the Department of Conservation’s mission to protect

There are signs that DOC’s mission to protect our wild places is becoming increasingly compromised. Photo: Susan Arthur 12

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New Zealand’s wild places is becoming increasingly compromised by pressures from outside – and inside – the department to allow destructive activities to be carried out for private gain on public conservation land. Forest & Bird has never had an issue with commercial interests, particularly tourism, generating profits off the back of the natural resources that DOC manages. The Conservation Act states clearly that those commercial activities are allowed – to the extent that the use of natural resources for tourism is not inconsistent with their conservation. According to the Act, if the commercial activities do interfere with conservation, then they are not permitted. After a storm felled large areas of trees on the West Coast of the South Island, a law change was rushed through Parliament that now allows the fallen trees in the West Coast’s conservation forests to be logged (see our cover story, page 18). The impetus to get around the Conservation Act’s specific ban on the logging of conservation forests didn’t just come from the usual suspects. It was also championed by the local DOC office, a development Forest & Bird Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy Kevin Hackwell describes as greatly concerning. “DOC’s funding has reduced in real terms every year since 2008. It’s also been restructured almost every year. Subsequently it has lost many experienced staff, and with them a lot of institutional knowledge,” he says. “Possibly as a result of being in a constant state of ‘restructure churn’, and its stretched funding, I fear some staff have lost touch with what they are there to do ... and that’s to implement the law and ensure our native wildlife and their habitats are protected and preserved.” Another sign of things being amiss came in December last year. In an investigation, Ombudsman Ron Paterson described DOC’s justification for allowing a private company to increase the number of walkers on the Routeburn Track beyond the limit recently set by the Mt Aspiring National Park’s management plan as “nonsense on stilts”. DOC had given the company approval to increase the number of walkers it could take on the track from 24 to 40 each night. The management plan limit of 24 people a night had only been approved in 2011. Kevin says while the damage done by an excess of trampers is in a different league from that caused by the logging, this adds to his concerns about what is driving DOC to make decisions that either go against the legislation that governs it, or against its statutory plans. “It is important that DOC’s leadership moves quickly to prevent any further ’mission creep’ and to make it clear to all staff – particularly those new to the department – that their job is to implement the Conservation Act’s singlefocused function of preservation and protection for the purpose of maintaining the intrinsic values of the country’s precious natural and historic resources.”

Local action busts weeds Whanganui branch committee member Mike Sigley remembers seeing weeds spreading everywhere at Lake Westmere and wondering when someone would do something about it. Willows, periwinkle, Japanese honeysuckle, tradescantia and rampant karaka were taking over in the 20-hectare reserve around the lake, about six kilometres north of the city. On retirement four years ago Mike decided he was the one who would do something about it. Now there’s a regular band of volunteers, and support from Forest & Bird, Wanganui City Council and Horizons Regional Council. Where the willows once monopolised the lake shore, there’s now raupō (bulrushes), varieties of carex sedge grasses and other natives. “It’s changed quite dramatically and we are getting quite lush growth on many sides of the lake,” Mike says. Mike’s enthusiasm and determination were infectious and now around half a dozen attend the weekly work sessions. Removal of karaka over the past 18 months has allowed understorey natives such as kawakawa and rangiora to take off and ngaio and akeake are doing well in the drier areas. The weed clearance and introduction of a predator trapping programme has also boosted birdlife in the

reserve. Kererū, tūī, shining cuckoo, grey warblers and fantails are among the bushdwellers and pūkeko, Australian coots, black swans, dabchicks and kingfishers are found in the lake and wetlands. Forest & Bird and the two councils are developing an agreement on the future aims of the restoration work at the reserve. After four years though, the project remains Mike’s baby and his dedication was recognised last year with a Weedbusters award presented by the Horizons council.

Mike Sigley (centre) receiving the Weedbusters award at Lake Westmere Reserve for the restoration work done by his team.

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Smith begins hard sell on RMA Environment Minister Nick Smith has put on his salesman’s hat this year to try to breathe new life into the government’s plans for sweeping changes to the Resource Management Act. Last year the government failed to win necessary support from its minor party allies for legislation changes to undermine environmental protections in the Act, but after last September’s election, the National government and its allied ACT MP no longer need support from any other party. However Dr Smith says broad support is still wanted, and Prime Minister John Key has committed to “pragmatic” and “moderate” reform. Forest & Bird’s opposition remains focused on proposed changes to sections 6 and 7 of the Act, which contains the environmental principles on which planning decisions must be made. Also of concern are likely changes to planning and appeal processes, to limit the independent expert role of the Environment Court, and to make it harder for submitters to object or raise relevant issues. Despite the rejection of section 6 and 7 changes planned last year, Dr Smith is still promising “significant changes” without so far giving any details. Kevin Hackwell, Forest & Bird’s Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy, says the government’s focus on the need for more affordable housing is a smokescreen for giving developers more of a free hand at the expense of the environment. “We don’t want to see air and water quality get worse, or to lose indigenous vegetation and biodiversity. We don’t want our coastlines wrecked. We want to protect these things, which are already in decline. In any case, undermining

environmental protections in the RMA won’t have any significant effect on Auckland house prices because other factors are more important in those price rises.” One complaint sometimes made about the RMA process is that opposition to proposals can lead to long legal processes and court action. But Kevin says rewriting the principles of the Act would make this much worse. “We have over 20 years of case law based on sections 6 and 7 and any major changes would not free up the courts but have exactly the opposite effect.” Dr Smith based much of his case for reform on a report by consultants Motu Economic and Public Policy Research. But this report was based on questions asked of 16 developers. It only looks at the expenses developers believe RMA processes have cost them and ignores RMA planning benefits. These include good air and water quality, and neighbourhoods with good infrastructure, open and green spaces and playgrounds. While Forest & Bird supports some of the proposed planning reforms, such as giving more central government guidance to local councils and getting councils focused on what really matters, in general figures don’t back up claims that the RMA is seriously dysfunctional. In 2013, just 0.27 per cent of applications were declined, 97 per cent were processed on time, and of 34,000 consent decisions, only 239 were appealed against. “We support improvements to RMA processes but not at the expense of our air and water quality, ruining our coastlines or by denying people the chance to take part in development decisions that affect them and their area,” Kevin says.

The government is using alarm over housing unaffordability in Auckland to justify sweeping changes to the RMA. Photo: David Brooks

| Forest & Bird

The Ruataniwha dam would be built on the Makaroro River, a tributary of the Tukituki River.

A win for nature at Ruataniwha Forest & Bird’s efforts to protect the Tukituki River in Hawke’s Bay from the effects of ill-considered irrigated farming look likely to succeed following a High Court decision. The court has agreed with us (and Fish & Game NZ and the Environmental Defence Society) that a key aspect of a Board of Inquiry’s decision on a Hawke’s Bay Regional Council plan change – which was needed for the Ruataniwha dam and irrigation scheme – is illegal. As a result, the plan change and the dam’s consent have to be reviewed. Forest & Bird’s national office and its Hastings-Havelock North branch made a formal submission to the Board of Inquiry convened to decide on the project, and also appeared before the board. If the Ruataniwha dam is built it is expected to lead to a mass conversion from predominantly sheep and beef farming in the inland Ruataniwha basin to intensive dairying – in one of the driest parts of the country. That would be likely to raise nutrient levels, particularly nitrogen, in the Tukituki River to the point that the river’s ecosystems would be severely threatened. The High Court found the Board of Inquiry was wrong when it set water quality limits for the catchment, but failed to establish clear methods by which the regional council could ensure those water quality limits could be reached. Forest & Bird General Manager of Campaigns and Advocacy Kevin Hackwell says this part of the decision will have a real benefit for conservation because it will send a clear signal to other regional councils that they must provide the methods by which water quality standards are met. The appeal was taken by Forest & Bird, Fish & Game NZ and the Environmental Defence Society. Forest & Bird and Fish and Game were awarded costs.

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conservation

news

Somewhere under the rainbow Our 2014-15 Seabird and Shorebird Photo Competition attracted a great response with 525 entries, including a large number of fantastic images. It was good to see so many people who obviously love our sea and coasts and the birdlife found there. Ronald van Schaik wins the top prize for a wonderfully timed and framed shot of the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers under a rainbow. Not a gannet out of place. The first runner-up goes to Héloïse Gauvin for the hoiho checking itself out in the still water. This photo radiates the colours and personality of our yellow-eyed penguin. The other runners-up are Glenda Rees – who entered many great photos – for her shot of a bathing dotterel, Matthew Goodman – whose five entries all pushed for prizes – for his dynamic flurry of seagulls, and Ye Miao gets another hoiho into the winners’ circle. The final runner-up is Olly Aughton with his albatross photo. Check out KCC’s Wild Things magazine for the 12 years and under winners, and to see all entries go to http://bit.ly/seabirdphotos or Forest & Bird’s Facebook page and look under albums. 16

| Forest & Bird

1 Ronald van Schaik 2 Héloïse Gauvin 3 Glenda Rees 4 Matthew Goodman 5 Ye Miao 6 Olly Aughton

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Return of t Cash-strapped DOC officials have been revealed as being behind a plan to take wind-blown timber out of conservation land. David Brooks reports on an â&#x20AC;&#x153;unmitigated disasterâ&#x20AC;?.

e have believed since 1987 that our conservation forests were safe forever from logging but now timber is again being taken out of West Coast conservation land. The most worrying aspect of this sad return to the past is that the impetus came from within the ranks of those charged with protecting our shared natural treasures â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Department of Conservation. When Cyclone Ita hit the West Coast at Easter last year, native trees were toppled in an area estimated at 18

| Forest & Bird

more than 20,000 hectares. Timber companies, local politicians and others quickly called for the trees to be logged, despite warnings from ecologists about the crucial contribution of wind-blown trees to the health of our native forest ecosystems. These major windfalls are part of the natural cycle, especially on the storm-lashed West Coast. Legislation to overturn the protections for wind-blown trees on conservation land in the 1987 Conservation Act was rushed through Parliament on June 26 under urgency,

COVER STORY

he loggers with no opportunity for input from experts and the public. Forest & Bird’s Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy, Kevin Hackwell, has been investigating this sudden overturning of a crucial principle of conservation policy. Documents released in response to his Official Information Act (OIA) requests show that some staff in DOC’s West Coast conservancy – since disestablished in the 2013 departmental restructuring – had been working on a proposal for logging wind-blown trees for more than 18 months before Cyclone Ita. The “Timber for Conservation” proposal was later dropped due to concerns expressed by DOC’s legal team and opposition from the policy section. But the consultations the West Coast staff had with timber

companies and the Ministry of Primary Industries had stoked a belief amongst these outside interests that the protections in the Conservation Act could be overturned or avoided. These consultations combined with opportunism by politicians before last year’s election created the momentum for the West Coast Wind-blown Timber (Conservation Lands) Bill to be drawn up by the government and rammed through Parliament in half a day. The documents Kevin received showed the plan was devised by cash-strapped DOC officials desperate for 1 For the first time in 27 years conservation forests are being

logged. Here a portable sawmill has been set up in the bush near Lake Brunner on the West Coast. Photo: Kevin Hackwell. Forest & Bird

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COVER STORY

2 20

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funds to cover their basic conservation work, such as invasive weed clearance. Against a backdrop of cuts to the department’s budget, the officials consulted with timber companies and others from 2012 about selling wind-blown logs to raise cash for their work. This plan contravened both the spirit and letter of their own governing legislation. “There was underfunding, there was restructuring going on, a new slogan “conservation for prosperity” had been introduced and the department had a new commercial business unit which was being asked to facilitate new, poorly defined, business ‘partnerships’. DOC was in a mess. A set of circumstances drove some people in the department to make some really poor decisions,” Kevin says. He believes the legislation to harvest wind-blown logs would never have been considered in the absence of the extra interest and demand created by the Timber for Conservation proposal. “If the DOC conservancy project to find a way around the law hadn’t happened in the first place, the timber companies, the department and the politicians would have said to themselves, ‘no, the law is really clear, it’s too difficult’,” he says. “All the preparation work had been done (as part of the Timber for Conservation study) and the loggers on the West Coast knew that some thinking to change the legislation had been done, so they put the pressure on after the cyclone hit. To be fair, Timber for Conservation had lapsed within DOC but all these interest groups including the Ministry of Primary Industries had been primed and were ready to go.” The documents obtained by Kevin show the proposal was initially developed with some key sections of DOC – notably the policy section – kept in the dark. The proposal’s advocates recognised there could be an “adverse reaction from concerned stakeholders who perceive salvage (logging) to be a return to forest exploitation. This study is not intended as high profile”. The Ministry of Primary Industries, several local sawmillers and Landcare Research were all involved six months before the policy section in DOC’s head office “got wind of the study late in the legal advice process” and provided some feedback in the second half of 2013. A September 2013 email from the policy section is scathing about the proposal. “Banning the taking of trees from conservation areas was a very deliberate decision of the select committee that created the Conservation Act. The department was intended to replace an agency committed to selective logging, and the specific ban was to stop that culture creeping into the new agency.“ The 1987 Act was designed to ensure there was no return to the discredited multi-use model under which the New Zealand Forest Service had the contradictory aims of felling native forests as well as conserving them. The Department of Lands and Survey also had conflicting development and conservation roles. The policy division response was clear that Timber for Conservation contravened both the letter and the principles of the Conservation Act. “If we find a way around (the Act), that will just fuel the views out there that the department sees its legislation as

This logging is a destructive use of our conservation forests and it runs directly against the core principle of the Conservation Act. Kevin Hackwell just an inconvenience to be got around … Taking fallen trees is ecologically not very different to taking standing trees – just a different suite of organisms losing their habitat …,” the policy division said. A draft ministerial submission on the proposal was never completed and the proposal lapsed in early 2014. But just a couple of months later, Cyclone Ita hit the West Coast and the pressure came on for logging the wind-blown trees because of the momentum created by the Timber for Conservation consultations. Kevin says the interest from timber companies has focussed on fallen rimu, an outcome which had been flagged to the government by the Ministry of Primary Industries more than six weeks before the legislation was passed. Despite the MPI warning, the government justified the need to pass the legislation under urgency to allow the logging of fallen beech trees, which would quickly spoil due to rot and borer. Kevin says it appears likely the cost to DOC of running the scheme will outweigh the income earned. “Not only are we losing the trees, we’ve undermined the legislation and set a dangerous precedent. It also looks like it may cost more than it earns … it’s going to end up being an unmitigated disaster.” Above all, it is the precedent being set by the legislation and the undermining of long enshrined conservation policy that disappoints Kevin and other conservationists. While this year’s legislation only covers the one-off Cyclone Ita event, the government has said it may introduce a permanent change to the Conservation Act to allow the harvesting of wind-blown logs. 3

“Forest & Bird has always supported the idea that money can be made out of our conservation estate through businesses like tourism and recreation, but it has to be sustainable. The Conservation Act set up the department to above all conserve and maintain our natural and historic resources for their intrinsic values. Any recreation or commercial use must not be inconsistent with conservation,” says Kevin. “This logging is a destructive use of our conservation forests and it runs directly against the core principle of the Conservation Act.” Forest & Bird will monitor the logging of wind-blown trees to verify DOC keeps its promises to ensure the timber companies minimise their damage to the forests. Forest & Bird will also be lobbying and campaigning to make sure the one-off logging does not lead to further legislation to permanently allow the taking of wind-blown trees. We also need to persuade the government to adequately fund DOC so its staff do not need to contemplate an idea as desperate and misconceived as “Timber for Conservation” ever again. 2 Debs Martin, Forest & Bird Top of the South Regional

Conservation and Volunteer Manager, next to the stump of a rimu that has been logged. Photo: Kevin Hackwell

3 A huge number of species rely heavily on rotting wood

and vegetation, including the great spotted kiwi. Photo: www.rodmorris.co.nz

4 South Island kaka are one of the species relying on a

healthy bush ecosystem which includes rotting logs. Photo: davidhallet.co.nz 4

Forest & Bird

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COVER STORY KARAMEA MŌKIHINUI • WESTPORT PAPAROA NATIONAL PARK • GREYMOUTH

WHATAROA

How logs are harvested

Wanted: dead or alive After Cyclone Ita some people said it made no sense to leave fallen trees to rot on the ground. But the truth is that dead trees are a vital part of the forest ecosystem. Without dead trees giving back to the forest ecosystem, there would eventually be no live trees. Nelson-based ecologist Michael North says dead or rotting wood makes up about half of all the wood in a healthy forest ecosystem. A dead tree is likely to be as valuable to a forest ecosystem as a live one. A huge number of species rely on rotting wood and vegetation, including plant life such as fungi, lichens, invertebrates and microbes. Lizards, bats and birdlife including robins and kiwi feed on the invertebrates that rely on decaying wood and vegetation. “Less than half of New Zealand’s approximately 70,000 native species have been scientifically described, so there is a question over whether we actually know what we might be losing if we continue to degrade native forest,” says University of Auckland terrestrial ecology senior lecturer Margaret Stanley. 22

| Forest & Bird

Logging of the wind-blown trees began late last year in various parts of the South Island’s West Coast region. The significantly damaged areas cover about 20,000 hectares along the length of the West Coast. More than a third of the area is in the north between Mōkihinui and Karamea, where more than 8000 hectares were significantly affected by Cyclone Ita. Most of this forest in the foothills of the Radiant Range is beech dominated, with smaller numbers of podocarps such as rimu. Scattered areas of damage lie near Westport and up the Buller River valley. A large number of trees were also knocked over on the eastern flanks of the Paparoa Ranges, though logging is banned there because the area lies within the Paparoa National Park. One of the worst-hit areas was Whataroa in the south. Damage included the felling of tracts of river-flat tōtara, though a substantial part of this land is privately owned. In some of the areas where harvesting is being done, the logs are removed by helicopter. Where the fallen trees are close to existing roads, they are dragged through the bush. Portable sawmills are being brought in to some areas to saw the logs into planks. These require the clearing of areas of bush to make space for the sawmilling. 5 Rotting wood is essential for the health of forest ecosystems,

recycling nutrients and supporting a wide range of plant and animal species. Photo: Kevin Hackwell.

6 Western weka are found in the area where loggers are

removing wind-blown trees. Photo: Debs Martin

How you can help Please donate to Forest & Bird’s Protect Our Conservation Estate appeal to send a clear message that logging our conservation forests is not okay. The logging of windfall timber on the West Coast raises the alarm that our conservation estate is not as safe as it should be. “Logging is now happening and we need to ensure that the removal of trees is minimised and damage to the forests restricted as much as possible,” says Forest & Bird’s Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy , Kevin Hackwell. We need your help to minimise the damage being done on the West Coast and to prevent logging happening elsewhere on the conservation estate. A dead tree is as important to a forest ecosystem as a live one. For the sake of our nature’s future, Forest & Bird will bear witness to what is happening on the West Coast and make sure it never happens again. Together we can ensure that our conservation estate is protected. Please make a gift to our appeal by visiting www.forestandbird.org.nz/ protectourconservationestate

Amazing facts about…

NEW ZEALAND

TERMITES By Michelle Harnett

Photo: Scion

ould you survive on a diet of wood? New Zealand termites can, with a little help from their gut micro-flora. New Zealand has three endemic termite species. Stolotermes ruficeps and its less-well known cousin, S. inopinus, prefer damp wood, while Kalitermes brouni is a dry wood termite. The colonies of all three are found in indigenous and exotic, dead and decaying trees, logs and stumps throughout the country. Native termites are not invasive and spend most of their life in one place. They rarely attack timber in use – the owners of a house so badly damaged by native termites that it had to be demolished in 2014 were very unlucky. The problem with wood being the only thing on the menu is that it lacks the essential nutrient nitrogen, and the carbohydrate source, cellulose, is hard to digest. This is where the bacteria and protozoa that live in termites’ tummies come into their own. Some of the bacteria fix nitrogen and provide a supply to the termites. Other micro-organisms break the cellulose in wood into simple sugars and ferment them. The products of fermentation are used by both the microbes and the termites for energy. Research into the bugs in termites’ guts has found many thousands of species. Similar populations are found in widely separated colonies of the same termite species, emphasising the symbiotic relationship between termites and their micro-flora. Termites are an important part of the forest ecosystem, speeding up wood decomposition and returning the nutrients to the soil. They are, via their nitrogen-fixing bacteria, an important source of nitrogen in the forest. Late summer and early autumn are the times when new colonies are established. Sexually mature termites grow wings, swarm, mate, and disperse over short distances. When they find a new home they bite off their wings and settle in. Their eggs hatch into nymphs which work hard, tending the queen and younger nymphs, extending tunnels and keeping them clean. Some nymphs become soldier termites with big heads and jaws for defending the colony, but most grow into reproductive adults and the cycle starts again. Forest & Bird

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Where have all the

young ones gone? Kākahi may have the potential to clean up polluted lakes, but Amber McEwan reports on fears the native mussel is suffering death by a thousand cuts.

ākahi, the New Zealand freshwater mussel, is a modest little bivalve that lives in the mud of our rivers and lakes. But it’s in trouble. These endemic molluscs are dark brown-black and usually grow to 60-80 millimetres long – smaller than the marine greenshell mussels on Kiwi dinner plates. Like many native freshwater animals in New Zealand’s predominantly cold, low-productivity waterways, kākahi grow slowly and live for a long time – sometimes more than 50 years. There are around 900 recognised species of freshwater mussel in the world and most of them are in trouble. New Zealand is not the only place where exponential human population growth and the accompanying deforestation and pollution have drastically altered indigenous waterscapes. In New Zealand, anecdotal evidence from many areas indicates that kākahi are far less common now. The Department of Conservation’s most recent threat classification lists all three kākahi species as either threatened or at risk. Kākahi are vulnerable to many of the myriad human threats to aquatic life and scientists are concerned that many populations are heading for extinction. The aptly named Dr Sue Clearwater, an ecotoxicologist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), says juvenile mussels are very sensitive to contaminants. “So we are concerned that only ‘geriatric populations’ remain in many of our rivers and streams, and that even the adult mussels are dying out in shallow eutrophic lakes. They do, however, appear to be doing well in some locations such as Lake Taupō and some

| Forest & Bird

of the Te Arawa (Rotorua) lakes.” Like similarly long-lived freshwater eels, kākahi have been silent witnesses to huge changes in their underwater worlds. Recent decades have seen New Zealand become a nation with one of the most urbanised populations in the world. With urban run-off from roads, factories and homes entering stormwater systems, kākahi have encountered copper, lead and petrochemicals for the first time. Silt from deforested and eroding hill land has increased exponentially the amount of fine sediment in rivers and lakes. Kākahi can filter a lot of sediment but the amounts now smothering many habitats are ecologically unprecedented.

Glochidia live on host fish for around 3 weeks, then drop off

A mussel of many uses for Māori Kākahi (also sometimes called kāeo, ngaeo and koaru) were a valuable food for Māori and were an easily obtained source of protein during times when other foods were scarce. Collected by hand and with dredges (rou kākahi or mangakino), they were often fed to sick people, infants and the elderly. Kākahi shells were also used to scrape flax for weaving baskets and nets.

Glochidia attach themselves to a nearby native fish

Juvenile kākahi grow until they reach reproductive maturity

Females brood eggs internally and then eject larvae called glochidia

Females take in freefloating male sperm

3 With the increase in dairy farming, effluent and fertiliser have poured into waterways in quantities that have caused widespread and catastrophic ecosystem changes. In many cases, lowland waterscapes are completely different environments from those in which kākahi evolved. Many kākahi populations are heavily skewed towards adults – a worldwide trend for freshwater mussels. Recent surveys in Waikato and Wairarapa have revealed ageing populations with none or very few juveniles. “While this may be partly a natural phenomenon, it may also indicate trouble in the kākahi life cycle – if adequate numbers of juveniles are not surviving then the future for that population doesn’t look good,” says Sue. “This is known as extinction debt, where the last old individuals live out their lives for many decades with no one to replace them.” Kākahi, like other members of their freshwater mussel family (Unionidae), have an intriguing reproductive strategy. Marine mussels expel eggs and sperm for external fertilisation in the water but a mother kākahi keeps her eggs inside her shell to develop. She takes in sperm through her inhalant siphon and her fertilised eggs are then held in specialised brood chambers in the gill until they develop into larvae called glochidia. These glochidia (about the size of a grain of sand) are then ”sneezed” out of their mother’s exhalent siphon and they latch (like a tiny, snapping Pac-Man) on to a passing native fish to spend the next stage of their life cycle as parasites. It’s a useful way to travel upstream. What juvenile kākahi get up to after dropping off their host fish is a mystery but it is thought that they live in very different places to adults – habitats that have yet to be discovered. The smallest kākahi found are around 15-20mm and these finds are uncommon. Perhaps they are simply not there to be found. Is it a case of death by a thousand cuts? Juvenile kākahi are more sensitive to ammonia and heavy metal poisoning than adults and are more susceptible to smothering by excess amounts of fine sediment. Degraded habitats, for example, caused by river regulation and aquatic weed proliferation, could be driving declines in juvenile numbers. Native fish numbers are also dropping and this could be creating a shortage of hosts for young kākahi. Glochidia only live for a few days outside their mother and they may simply find themselves with no fish to hitch a ride on. “Whatever the causes,” Sue warns, “action is needed

4 now. We need to gain a better understanding of multiple aspects of kākahi ecology, such as population status, reproduction of the two rarer species and juvenile habitat requirements, so that we can focus on key restoration actions. We are currently developing a conservation strategy to co-ordinate our efforts and provide support to community groups and others who are involved in restoring waterways.” Kākahi are prodigious filterers – a study in Lake Tuakitoto in South Otago estimated that they filtered the entire volume of the lake every 32 hours. This impressive ability has led to speculation that kākahi could be transferred to clean up lakes polluted with excess algae and sediment. The problem is finding enough 5 troops to do the job. 1 Echyridella menziesii – one of three New Zealand kākahi

species

2 Under some circumstances, kākahi can be very mobile! 3 The kākahi life cycle 4 The kōaro – a native fish species which is commonly used as

a host for kākahi larvae

5 Small kākahi are very rare and scientists are concerned that

populations are at risk of collapse as aged individuals die off without sufficient numbers to replace them Forest & Bird

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Kākahi distributions pose interesting questions Kākahi taxonomy has confused scientists in the past due to the variations in shell morphology (shape) as a result of local environmental conditions. However, recent analysis of kākahi DNA by researchers from Te Papa, NIWA and Victoria University has revealed that New Zealand has three species. All belong to the same genus (Echyridella) that is endemic to New Zealand. It was proposed that the New Zealand species originated from Australian mussels (perhaps as larvae attached to birds or fish). However, in light of the genetic research, a more likely scenario is that our kākahi species have Gondwanan ancestral links and have been in New Zealand for more than 80 million years.

6 Currently known distribution of three kākahi species. Yellow:

E. menziesii; blue: E. aucklandica; green: E. onekaka

7 Echyridella menziesii (Amber McEwan) 8 Echyridella aucklandica (Amber McEwan) 9 E. onekaka (Gerrard Hindmarsh)

An Eco-Retreat

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1080

The key to restoring our dawn chorus Forest & Bird is campaigning for DOC to be funded to keep up 2014â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s level of predator control. Jay Harkness reports on the Battle for Our Birds.

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e were dreading the risk of extinction for some of our most vulnerable forest species at this time last year. Two successive warm summers had led to a prolific flowering in our beech forests. If that flowering led to an expected abundance of seed, then many of our threatened forest animals would be facing an explosion of rats, mice and stoats. Autumn 2014 arrived and the heavy beech seeding occurred. Rats and mice thrived as a result – in some areas several thousand seeds could be found in a single square metre of forest floor. But to make matters worse, the autumn seedfall was followed by last year’s particularly warm winter. This meant rats and mice survived into spring in even higher numbers than originally feared. Small mammal monitoring tunnels showed rodent tracking levels of up to 77 per cent. Normally tracking levels of just 20 per cent are cause for concern. Whenever mice and rats are plentiful, the stoat population soars. Native birds, particularly chicks, start getting eaten at a horrific rate by stoats and rats. Last January, all the signs were that our beech forests would be crawling with stoats by this summer. Now many of our beech forests are indeed infested with rats, mice and stoats and native wildlife is having a hard time of it. However, in almost all the areas in which there are significant populations of endangered wildlife, and where the beech seeding was heavy, it is a very different story. Tracking tunnels in these areas are showing negligible numbers of rats and mice – in many cases, zero. So what happened? Just one thing – the biggest aerial 1080 predator control operation this country has seen. The Department of Conservation dubbed it “the Battle for Our Birds”, and it’s no stretch to say species could have been lost if it had not gone ahead. The numbers of some of the species the Battle for Our Birds was aimed at protecting are extremely low. One of these species is the orange-fronted parakeet/ kākāriki karaka, which is found in just three valleys in the South Island: the Hawdon, Poulter and Hurunui. Only 200 to 400 birds remain. Another is the Haast tokoeka. Only around 400 of these kiwi remain. There are thought to be around 5000 mōhua, but when you consider that the yellowheads only live in small isolated pockets, you can see why they too were a priority for DOC’s campaign. The last of Marlborough’s remaining mōhua disappeared in the last beech mast, which happened in 2000. Virtually all of the Department of Conservation’s drops were completed by late 2014. A few other drops, paid for by TB Free New Zealand, will be completed early this year. Two areas in particular offer a dramatic reflection of the effectiveness of 1080. In Southland’s Waikaia Forest, rat tracking numbers were at more than 30 per cent before the 1080 drop. They were projected to have reached 60 per cent by November. After the operation, hardly 2 any rat prints have been found in any

4 of the tracking tunnels in the forest. In Fiordland’s Iris Burn, tracking rates for rats were already at 72 per cent before the drop. They were reduced to zero. The majority of stoats in both areas are expected to have been killed when eating undigested baits from the guts of scavenged rats and mice. Forest & Bird Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy, Kevin Hackwell, says: “If the use of aerial 1080 drops to its 2013 levels, the great progress made last year could be wasted. That’s why Forest & Bird is campaigning for the Department of Conservation to be adequately funded to make 2014 the new benchmark for future predator control. “Despite nearly doubling the area of aerial predator 1 The biggest aerial 1080 predator control operation this

country has seen was mounted last year.

2 Forest & Bird Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy,

Kevin Hackwell, says: “If the use of aerial 1080 drops to its 2013 levels, the great progress made last year could be wasted.”

3 Mōhua were a priority for DOC’s 1080 campaign. Photo:

James Reardon/DOC

4 Our beech forests are infested with rats, mice and stoats after

a heavy seeding and a warm winter. Photo: davidhallet.co.nz Forest & Bird

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control to deal with the rat and stoat plagues, still less than 12 per cent of the area managed by DOC had 1080 applied in 2014. Trapping and other types of poisoning operations were carried out in a large number of small areas, but the overall area in which alternative predator control methods were used was small. “Keeping up 2014’s level of predator control will give the wildlife most at risk of extinction a broader base from which to recover. And besides the advantages of aerial 1080 itself (see box), the technique of using cost-effective aerial baits to suppress predator numbers over wide areas is the key to restoring the dawn chorus throughout the country. “Predator control in targeted areas, in order to protect key species, is vital. But in the medium term we’ve got to reclaim far more of the country back from introduced predators. And in the long term, it is a no-brainer to rid New Zealand of all introduced predators, whether that’s from the point of view of conservation (so we don’t continue to have biodiversity crises like last year’s), or for the considerable economic benefits (see box).

Why it’s 1080 or the birds The key to why aerial 1080 is so effective in protecting native birds is simple. It knocks back introduced mammalian predators hard, and allows the nesting success rate of our native birds to improve out of sight. In areas where there is no predator control, nine out of 10 kiwi die before they are a year old. In areas where there is predator control, up to 70 per cent will survive to the age of one. Large numbers of kiwi have been monitored before, during and after 1080 operations and none are known to have ever been poisoned. A few bird species have been known to sometimes eat 1080 pellets, such as kea (but this behaviour has been observed mainly in kea that live around humans and are used to to eating novel foods). But when small numbers of birds die after 1080 drops, the improvement in the breeding success of the remaining birds usually more than makes up for those losses. The active ingredient of 1080 is the chemical fluoroacetate, which is found in many plants growing in soils which have high natural levels of fluoride. It is readily biodegradable, breaking down in water and the soil. It is widely used in New Zealand because it is so effective against mammals (our only native land mammals are bats). Airdrops of 1080 bait mean it can be used to protect wildlife over wide areas, and over the sort of terrain that is impossible to reach any other way. This also means it is very cost-effective. Modern aerial 1080 operations drop an average of four baits for an area the size of a tennis court. The independent Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment produced a report on 1080 in 2011, with a follow-up report in 2013. She concluded it was the most effective tool we have for protecting our wildlife by controlling introduced predators and that it was safe to use.

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5 5 Small mammal monitoring tunnels have shown rodent

tracking levels of up to 77 per cent. Photo: DOC

Predator Free NZ New Zealand is now on course to free itself of introduced predators, with the official launch of the Predator Free NZ initiative in November. A host of organisations are now working to make the vision that was endorsed by the late Professor Paul Callaghan a reality. Forest & Bird is one of these. The timetable is an ambitious one. It calls for all rats, stoats, ferrets, and possums to be eradicated by 2040, or thereabouts. It’s acknowledged that some of the techniques needed to do the job do not yet exist. But the experts agree it is possible, given that predator control technologies are improving all the time. Fifty years ago it was generally held that it would be impossible to eradicate rats even from small islands. But in 1960 Forest & Bird got the job done on the one-hectare Maria Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Every decade since then the size of islands that have been successfully made rat-free has increased by a factor of 10 to the point where DOC announced in 2005 that it had successfully cleared the 11,300-hectare Campbell Island of rats. The benefits to conservation of a predator-free New Zealand are obvious. It would mean an end to the ongoing cost of future predator control. Our forests would return to health and they would sequester more carbon. And the numbers of virtually all of New Zealand’s native bird species would increase. But the benefits would not be limited to conservation. The economic and public health benefits – principally from the eradication of bovine tuberculosis, which is spread by possums, and the eradication of rats, which of course spread diseases that affect humans – will be huge too. You can learn more about the project at www.predatorfreenz.org

$50 makes a big difference.

Please visit forestandbird.org.nz/joinus today. FAB0194/Ogilvy

GROWN-UP

From left, Sophie Asali Park, 8, Tim Park, and Tessa Korimako Park, 5, are current and past members of KCC.

Ecology’s a family game For many people, their involvement with the Kiwi Conservation Club and Forest & Bird is not something that began just with them. Rather, people often become involved through their brothers, sisters, parents, or grandparents introducing them to one of the organisations. Wellington ecologist Tim Park is a classic example because it was Tim’s maternal grandmother who formed the bond with Forest & Bird by giving Tim’s family memberships to Forest & Bird and KCC every Christmas. Tim is still a member today, and now his two daughters, Sophie, 8, and Tessa, 5, are members of KCC too. If the name Park seems familiar, it may well be because Tim’s late father Geoff was for a long time the author of a regular column in the Forest & Bird magazine, called The Itinerant Ecologist. He also wrote two acclaimed books that explored New Zealand’s unusual and varied post-settlement ecological quandaries: Ngā Uruora – The Groves of Life: Ecology and History in a New Zealand Landscape, and Theatre Country: Essays on Landscape and Whenua. Both were published by Victoria University Press; Theatre Country is still in print. One of Tim’s strongest memories of belonging to KCC is of poring over the “fantastic” magazine, more than 100 issues of which were edited and mostly written by Ann Graeme (Ann is still writing; her In the Field column is on page 40). His father’s research trips, which he needed to do for his books, meant the Park family got to see plenty of the country. Tim tells of being taken on annual summer-long expeditions in the family van, leaving as soon as school finished and returning home only to go back to school. With all the time spent in New Zealand’s forests – and having always been surrounded by so much knowledge about them – Tim’s career choice was pretty much set by the time he reached university. After graduating from Lincoln in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Tim carried out ecological surveys 32

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in a range of areas, including on Stewart Island and the Titi Islands, Porirua, Kapiti, and in and around the Hunua Ranges, southeast of Auckland. He went on to work for QEII National Trust as the head office’s first ecologist and also as the Wellington representative. Tim describes this role as one of the most interesting of his career so far, partly because it largely involved protecting a large number of rare lowland forests and wetlands, both of which were his father’s passion. Tim then opted for an entirely different type of environment, both physically and in terms of the challenges, taking on a voluntary role as a technical advisor for Volunteer Service Abroad in Tanzania. He spent a year helping build capacity for a small community conservation organisation which worked with local village councils. It was focused on re-vegetating marginal farmland, encouraging beekeeping, and getting fuel-efficient stoves installed (which require less firewood to be harvested). On returning in 2006 Tim did some consultancy work for Kapiti Coast District Council before becoming a senior biodiversity co-ordinator at the Greater Wellington Regional Council. Earlier this year he joined Wellington City Council as environment partnership leader. His work includes strengthening community restoration groups (including those working on the community “halo” project around Zealandia), and getting more locals into the council’s 300odd parks. Tim points out that more people visit their local parks than visit any one of the national parks. He believes making nature part of people’s daily lives is very important to our personal wellbeing, and sees new technologies as being key to enabling this. Tim is a trustee of the Dune Restoration Trust and the National Wetland Trust. He has also “appeared” several times in Paul Stanley Ward’s contributions to the Going Places column. In this issue they travel to Golden Bay’s Cobb Valley (page 38). The Park family conservation dynasty lives on.

our people

An editor who ‘walks the talk’ Long-time Communications Manager and Forest & Bird magazine Editor Marina Skinner left Forest & Bird for a new role at Statistics New Zealand in November. Her professionalism and her dedication to conservation will be missed not just by staff, but by people across the Forest & Bird community. Marina successfully led the communications team through some big changes for the national body, during which the demands on the team changed markedly. Marina is an example of a conservationist who “walks the talk”, spending many of her weekends (when she wasn’t editing the magazine) amongst nature. She is a member of her local tramping club and an avid cyclist, having completed much of the Mountains to the Sea, Otago Rail Trail and Pureora Forest rides. One year she also travelled to the Sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island (legend has it that in doing so she travelled further south than any current Forest & Bird staff member). Marina’s association with Forest & Bird will continue because she’s intending to help at her local branch’s planting days. Forest & Bird Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy, Kevin Hackwell, says Marina’s dedication to conservation is one of the qualities that made her so good at her job. “Marina already had a good ‘conservation head’ on her when she arrived at Forest & Bird, as it was something she had always been interested in. By the time

she left she had an unfailing commitment to conservation, and a huge breadth of knowledge on the topic. Added to that, she has very sound political and media judgement, which she put to great use while at Forest & Bird.” One of the people Marina worked with the longest was fellow editor Ann Graeme, who retired from her position in charge of the KCC Wild Thing’s magazine last year after presiding over 100 issues. Ann describes Marina’s remarkable contribution: “Members may feel that they knew Marina because, for six years, hers has been the hand that guided the Forest & Bird magazine. She arranged the cornucopia of news, views and articles and wrote many of the stories herself; stories that were interesting, sometimes sad, but often stimulating and thoughtful. “In the office she was always cheerful. To me, an occasional visitor, she was never too busy for a friendly chat or to offer a helping hand. I admired her competence, her calmness, her commitment to conservation and her dress sense (if that is politically permissible to say!). “Although I stayed in town and Marina commuted from Upper Hutt, I could never beat her to the office in the morning. Marina was a hard worker and a good friend to Forest & Bird, its branch members and its staff. We will miss her!” An announcement on Marina’s replacement will be made soon.

Legend has it that Marina’s trip to Sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island meant she travelled further south than any current Forest & Bird staff member. Forest & Bird

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our people

A staunch advocate Staunch is a word used often by people to describe Jocelyn Bieleski, who died late last year. She was a driving force in setting up our Upper Coromandel branch, a pillar of the Nelson-Tasman branch in more recent years and a national executive member from 2004 till 2007. Jocelyn received an Old Blue award in 1997 in recognition of her work to protect the forests and coastal waters of the Coromandel peninsula from mining and other reckless development proposals. Ann Graeme, who with husband Basil, was a Forest & Bird field officer for the central North Island during the late 1980s and 1990s, said the Upper Coromandel section, which later became a full branch, was very active, largely due to Jocelyn’s efforts. “She was a great talker and a staunch Jocelyn Bieleski had an unwavering dedication to putting the case for nature.

advocate and she didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Ann says. “Jocelyn focussed on forest issues, protecting native forests from mining and inappropriate subdivision. She achieved one of the first cat, dog and mustelid-free subdivisions of bush lots in forest where kiwi lived.” Jocelyn and her husband Paul moved to Nelson in the late 1990s and she made her mark with the Nelson-Tasman branch for her unwavering dedication to putting the case for nature. “She was just a brilliant hard worker and the number of submissions she put in was just phenomenal. She was involved in everything that was going on,” says former branch chair Helen Campbell. Her style was low key but she never let up her efforts. As well as submission writing, Jocelyn would do the jobs others were not keen on such as working on stalls, representing Forest & Bird at events and keeping branch records. “She did everything so well and she never expected any kudos for doing them,” Helen says. Paul Bieleski says Jocelyn believed it was important for people to make their voices heard. “She believed you shouldn’t let yourself be rolled over, you should make your voice heard and write submissions.”

A passionate defender Arthur Blair Cowan, 1916-2014, has died after a magnificent lifetime saving our forests and rivers. Arthur is a legend. He had war service in the artillery in Greece before being wounded and captured in North Africa. He was a prisoner in Italy and Germany. Returning home a skeleton, he threw himself into clearing his land near Otorohanga. However, it was not long before his love of hunting and fishing changed into a passionate defence of the bush and rivers. When in Waikato Hospital after rolling his crawler on the steep contour of his farm, he met Pat, a young occupational therapist who became his life-companion for the next 62 years. Arthur’s passion for conservation led him into more public life. He started planting anywhere that needed native vegetation, and he learned to rope in anyone foolish enough to wilt against his powers of persuasion. Rules and regulations about where and what to plant were just brushed aside. The sight of Arthur with his spade planting flax (his favourite pioneer plant) became familiar, and he started to identify areas of bush under threat. One such was what became known as the “Cowan Block”. This 1254 hectares of cut-over bush was for sale, and the likely buyers would almost certainly clear-fell it. Arthur jumped into his car, drove to Auckland to see the agent, and was told it was his if he could buy it within the next few hours. Arthur hastily remortgaged his farm, bought the Cowan Block 34

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that day, and “carried it” for a year before persuading the Wildlife Service to buy it. Another major project was the huge Rangitoto Station, now home to a healthy population of kōkako. Arthur became a founding member of the Otorohanga Zoological Society, which built and runs the Kiwi House, and is involved in the breeding of many rare species. He was a co-founder of the Native Forest Restoration Trust, which now owns many areas of native bush in the North Island. He was a director of the QEII National Trust and a long-time member of Forest & Bird. You could never get Arthur to compromise on what he believed in. This icon of conservation was awarded the Loder Cup in 1988, the New Zealand Army’s 150th Anniversary Medal in 1990, an MBE in 1993, and a Forest & Bird Old Blue award in 2007. We thank and salute you Arthur.

The sight of Arthur Cowan with his spade planting flax, his favourite pioneer plant, became familiar. Photo: Evan Cowan

Proud to be a ‘voice for nature’ Forest & Bird member Catherine Sintenie was an inspirational, dedicated and passionate South Canterbury conservationist who died in October last year aged 53 after a battle with cancer. “Catherine’s passing is like the sun going out. Her love of nature, and for her friends, family and children and her courage touched and inspired us all.” This was one of many moving eulogies after her death. After an earlier holiday travelling in New Zealand when Catherine met her husband-to-be, Ad Sintenie, the young couple and baby Anna emigrated from Calthwaite in the UK’s Lake District to settle here in 1987. Within a year they found their dream home on four hectares at Coopers Creek, near Geraldine. Their son Jan was born just before they moved there. Catherine was a keen tramper and the family explored the hills and mountains all over the country, from when the children were small. Catherine was passionate about the grandeur of the New Zealand landscape and the protection of its intrinsic natural values. She wanted to ensure that her grandchildren could still enjoy these treasures well into the 21st century. She taught hundreds of children at her rural primary school to love and respect nature and the environment. Her commitment and energy were huge, particularly through the submissions she wrote in support of Forest & Bird’s philosophy. She was not afraid to be the “voice for nature” at public meetings. Freshwater was one of several

conservation issues that Catherine invested time in as she strived to halt the decline of water quality in Canterbury. We miss Catherine deeply and she has left a huge gap in our South Canterbury community. To honour her dedication, we need to continue to make Catherine’s voice for nature be heard. Her ashes will be spread far and wide by people who want to take her to special places and mountain tops. She always desired to rest amongst the tussocks, with the geckos and falcons in the wild places she loved. n Ines Stäger, South Canterbury branch

Catherine Sintenie, in a basin below Mt Koeti in 2012, was passionate about the grandeur of the New Zealand. Photo: Ad Sintenie

Communicating conservation Kimberley Collins has joined the head office team as our online communications officer, looking after our websites, social media and online newsletters. Kimberley’s lifelong passion for nature has taken her around New Zealand, as well as to Antarctica, the subantarctic islands and other offshore sanctuaries. She’s been up close and personal with the kākāpō Sirocco, kākā, and penguins and many other native species. She can’t wait to use her skills and experience to get more New Zealanders involved in conservation. “Forest & Bird is the one organisation I’ve always seen myself working

for. It’s the oldest and biggest conservation organisation in New Zealand and it’s the leader,” she says. “I also think KCC (Forest & Bird’s Kiwi Conservation Club for children) is great. I’m really keen to make the most of what Forest & Bird is already doing well online, trying to connect as many people as possible to our advocacy work and helping our branches represent themselves online.” Her original BSc degree specialised in ecology and conservation but a stint doing public programmes at Waikato Museum persuaded Kimberley that communicating conservation was the career she wanted. She completed a Masters in science communication at Otago University before working in marketing and communications at the Zealandia fenced sanctuary in Wellington last year. She also went to the Antipodes Islands in 2014 as a volunteer on Gareth Morgan’s Million Dollar Mouse project, which aims to raise $1 million to eradicate mice from the birdlife-rich islands, about 750 kilometres southeast of New Zealand. If you want to learn more about Kimberley and her love for nature you can read about some of her adventures on her Birds & Words blog. Forest & Bird

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A CLIMATE FOR CHANGE

Climate demands

innovative thinking by farmers With the consequences of climate change already being felt, it’s clear that while it’s vital we aggressively deal with the causes of climate change, it may be better for farmers to adapt to – rather than pit themselves against – the more extreme weather that is to come. By Jay Harkness.

he first rule of sustainability is “don’t fight nature”. The rapid change in the world’s climate is being driven by humans, but is being manifested through the natural world. While the global and local efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change require an active commitment and steely resolve, adapting to the weather changes already locked in by the increases in greenhouse gases probably calls for a more passive approach. That’s because our ability to out-engineer the sort of change that is predicted is likely to be insufficient. And looking for engineering – rather than strategic – solutions is likely to have serious unintended consequences for our economy, lifestyles, values, and natural heritage. Instead, there is much evidence that points to the farming sector needing to come up with a more nuanced, adaptive, and regionalised approach to remaining profitable. The Ministry of Primary Industries’ report Four Degrees of Global Warming predicts that an average temperature rise of two to three degrees could result in increases in rainfall intensity of between 50 millimetres and 150 mm a

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day in many areas around New Zealand. It also says these figures could be worse if expected stronger westerlies over the Southern Alps cause more rain to be dumped. The report adds that New Zealand’s winters are expected to get far warmer. In the eastern South Island the average increase could top five degrees. Warmer temperatures and a higher rainfall could well mean better growing conditions in some areas, allowing some crops to be grown in areas where previously they couldn’t. But MPI’s report warns of diseases and pests also benefitting from such changes and becoming better established, with some surviving right through winter. Pip and stone fruit crops would not benefit from winter chilling to the same extent. Stock would be more at risk from summer heat stress. And with lower levels of snowfall, and more regular droughts, there would be less snow-melt and rain-water entering river systems. Forest & Bird’s Group Manager Campaigns and Advocacy, Kevin Hackwell, says the typical Kiwi attitude of “she’ll be right” won’t cut it, now or in the future. But he also warns that many heavily engineered man-made climate adaptation measures generally aren’t the answer, whether

they be concrete coastal or flood defences, or huge water storage dams, saying these will be no match for the extent of change we are likely to see. “Kiwi farmers are very good at coming up with ingenious solutions to the practical problems they face. The challenges of climate change will demand the very best in innovative thinking that works with nature rather than against it,” Kevin says. “The Ruataniwha water storage dam in the Hawke’s Bay is a good example. At the heart of that project is the desire to bring dairying – which requires huge amounts of water – to one of the driest parts of the country. “The original plan change and conditions of the dam’s consent would have dramatically increased the risk that the Tukituki River would become toxic. Forest & Bird was part of a successful appeal against that consent (see story on page 15),” Kevin says. “So the proposed Ruataniwha dam project is clearly a serious risk to the area’s environment. But it’s also likely that such a project will not work for its backers either. The expense of building huge dams, and associated irrigation infrastructure, on the dry east coast is likely to significantly increase the cost of production at the very time that climate change is likely to reduce the levels of rain needed to fill them. Unusually low rainfall through 2014’s winter to early summer led to South Canterbury’s Opuha irrigation scheme experiencing this very problem, of having little water behind the dam while the scheme’s farmers faced the onset of early drought conditions. “Rather than fighting nature, it makes better sense to adapt to it. A good example is the innovation of Marlborough dry-land farmer Doug Avery, who suffered eight years of severe drought, including four one-in-100-year droughts. His solution wasn’t to invest in hugely expensive water storage infrastructure. Instead he gave up on the standard ryegrass pasture that was performing poorly in drought conditions, and expanded his use of lucerne – the deep-rooted, drought-tolerant legume – for grazing. Between 2008 and 2010 – the year Avery won South Island Farmer of the Year – his farm doubled its output. It then doubled production again between 2010 and 2013.

Milk powder – add water, then subtract Producing milk requires staggering quantities of water. AgResearch estimates that 945 litres are required to produce one litre of standardised milk produced in the Waikato, and 1084 litres of milk from Canterbury (of course a much higher proportion of the water used in Canterbury comes from irrigation). The irony of this is that most of Fonterra’s income comes not from selling milk, but from selling milk powder (the company’s production of milk powder has doubled since 2004). Since milk is made up of 12 per cent solids and 88 per cent water, a huge amount of energy is needed to evaporate the liquid. Fonterra’s website states that the weight of the water evaporated from milk every year in New Zealand is about the same as 33,000 fully laden Boeing 747s. The removal of that water from our rivers and aquifers, and the pollution of New Zealand’s waterways by farm nutrient run-off, comes at a serious cost to our environment. But unfortunately it gets worse; Fonterra uses coal to fire the boilers at eight of its dairy factories, and plans to burn coal at a new plant in the Waikato. The coal will come from a mine that will be specially dug at Mangatāwhiri. So far, Fonterra has rejected the idea of using alternative fuels such as biomass in its boilers.

“In the Hawke’s Bay, adopting similar pasture management practice in the Ruataniwha basin may have significant benefits for existing dryland farmers. Changes in land use that fit with the changing climate may see the expansion of the existing wine industry in the area, given grapes thrive in dry summer conditions,” Kevin says. 1 Makaroro River, the planned site of the Ruataniwha dam.

Photo: Peter Scott

2 With lower levels of snowfall, and more regular droughts, there

would be less water available for irrigation. Photo: Liz Brook

2 Forest & Bird

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going places

Chasing Grey Ghosts

The gang goes bush in the Cobb Valley in an attempt to find the elusive South Island kōkako. Paul Stanley Ward reports.

hen I was a kid growing up in the 80s, a gifted stamp collection from my Poppa spurred an interest in New Zealand wattlebirds, especially the blue collared bird with the Zorro mask and gunmetal cloak: the kōkako. Buller’s Book of Birds replaced Battle Action comics on my reading list. After a report in The Evening Post told of the discovery of a feather of the (then-presumed extinct) South Island kōkako, I wrote to the Wildlife Service asking if I “could please be kept up to date with future sightings”. This was pre-OSH, pre-DOC, and I was invited to spend a school holiday on Kapiti Island, helping trap possums and release saddlebacks with Dr Tim Lovegrove. What more could a 10-year-old bird nerd with a Forest & Bird badge sewn on his Swannie sleeve want? The island adventure fledged a lifelong bond with NZ birds’n’bush. Now, as a 30-something adult with small kids, the luxury of a week in the wild is rare, but a couple of times a year a group of mates clear schedules and head to the hills. Recently we’ve combined these trips with places where South Island kōkako have been sighted. There’s a sense of mission (hunting for the Grey Ghost) and romance (is it our version of the Tassie Tiger? Is its mournful call a dirge for ecological loss?), but it’s basically an excuse to go bush. An early spring trip for our “Grey Ghost Gang” was to 38

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Cobb Valley in Kahurangi National Park. We hit up South Island kōkako supporter Alec Milne for nearby sightings, downloaded North Island kōkako “mew” calls – “sounds like a strangled cat,” said kōkako chasing newbie Geoff – and set off to Golden Bay from Wellington city. From Nelson Airport, we hired a rental and looked out the windscreen winding over Takaka Hill. Grey Ghost Gang member Tim Park spotted a weka whānau fossicking and we stopped for photos and fresh air. From Cobb Reservoir it was a four-hour stroll up the valley to Fenella Hut, guided by bellbirds and robins. With distinctive glaciated geology (the oldest rocks in New Zealand), the peaks of Xenicus and Mt Cobb looming above, and a tarn reminiscent of a Zen garden just “two furlongs’ from the hut, Fenella is a theatrical location. Its builders included Tim’s parents, Geoff and Lindsay, with Tim in utero. The long drop must be a contender for most picturesque DOC hut dunny. Coming up the valley we’d passed a conical beech seed counter, looking like a modern art installation – which turned our thoughts to the 2014 ‘mast’ and rodent explosion. Predator Free New Zealand had donated some Victor rat traps and we set them outside the hut. Weka and possum called through the night, but no kiwi. As we played 500 and the log burner turned the hut into a sauna, the

traps scored two rats. Birds: 2. Predators: 0. A robin checking out the rats in the morning provided a thought-provoking image; the “Battle for the Birds” 1080 operation had kicked off in Kahurangi earlier that week. Most of the heavy rain forecast fell overnight, but it was still drizzly for the day trip to Kākāpō Peak. Up through the rusty Dracophyllum forest (Dr Suess’ truffula trees?) we stopped to catch breath. Spurred by Alec’s South Island kōkako “Wanted” sign pinned in the hut, we played kōkako calls by the saddle. No luck. Crampons proved unnecessary, but axes came in handy on the trudge through the soft spring snow under Waingaro Peak, then up the gut onto Kākāpō Peak ridge. Talk of politics and property prices petered out as we grunted upward in the wind and cloud, with no view to be granted as reward. The peak’s namesake was long gone. We posed briefly for photos with the vegetable sheep, and wondered at food sources for the mountain tui swan-diving from the 1500m bush line. The next day we climbed above Fenella and with the sun finally out, trooped east along the Lockett Range, with grand views across to Mt Snowdon and yesterday’s route to Kākāpō. Sidling along steep deer trails through the snow and scree gave us a serious dose of kea envy as a squadron of four mountain parrots drag-raced high above. With time running out to make our return flight from Nelson, we dropped underneath Mt Benson and found a trap line plunging through Endor-like beech forest down to Cobb River. Still, we had some time for some experimental call playback. We swapped kōkako mews for Daft Punk disco. No kōkako responded, but a curious yellow-crowned kākāriki came over for a chit-chat. And Tim, our expedition botanist, found a threatened Pittosporum patulum (“pitpat”) endemic to the region. Being back in bed in Wellington for Sunday night made for a surreal feeling, with the “keeeeeaaaa” call from a children’s soft toy an echo of a three-day dip into Kahurangi’s big country. Our grey ghost hunt provided no fodder for hopers, but hang on … what was that plaintive note peeling over the tarn? Too pure for a croaky tui? The mist fingers through the gnarly goblin forest and the Cobb wearies me to sleep.

COBB VALLEY •

MOTUEKA • • NELSON

Getting there Directions:

We flew from Wellington to Nelson. Over Takaka Hill and up to Cobb Reservoir is about 2.5 hours’ drive.

Staying there:

We stayed both nights at Fenella Hut.

More information:

South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust Facebook page www.facebook.com/SIKCT Department of Conservation pages on Cobb Valley www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/ places-to-visit/nelson-tasman/goldenbay/cobb-valley/

3 1 The Grey Ghost Gang along Locket Ridge, looking across to

Waingaro Peak. Photo: Paul Stanley Ward

2 North Island kōkako in five finger, on Tiritiri Matangi. Photo:

Paul Stanley Ward

3 Poster inside Fenella Hut, made by Alec Milne. Photo: Paul

Stanley Ward

4 A tarn reminiscent of a Zen garden. Photo Paul Stanley Ward

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In the field ANN GRAEME

Frittering our whitebait away Forest & Bird has championed many native animals. We’ve campaigned to protect native birds from guns, fur seals from fishing nets and sea birds from longlines. Now it is time we spoke up for our native freshwater fish, scooped up in the nets of whitebaiters.

hitebait fritters may be delicious but the fritters are getting fewer. It is not for want of whitebaiters, but for want of whitebait. There are fewer – far fewer – whitebait to catch. The past-time of whitebaiting may be sanctified by tradition but it could, and should, be changing. Whitebait are the babies of five species of freshwater fish found only in New Zealand. They are as special to this country as kiwi, kākāpō and kererū – species in wellknown decline which are being helped by conservation. Populations of the whitebait species are also on the downhill slope that leads to extinction, but few efforts are being made to protect them.

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Everyone knows and many people care about kiwi, kākāpō and kererū but few know and fewer care about kōkopu, whitebait parents, probably because they have scales instead of feathers. But people do care about whitebait and if they want their sport to survive and even revive, they should care about the welfare of whitebait’s parent fish. These fish are shy and rarely seen in the daytime. They live in rivers and streams and swamps, and lay their eggs on the banks amongst the streamside plants. The eggs hatch on the high spring tides and the tiny fish are carried out to sea. Months later they return as whitebait, swimming upstream to find a place to live and grow before laying the eggs of the next generation. Whitebait used to swim up our streams in vast silvery shoals. They were so abundant that historical accounts tell of catches so large they were used as garden fertiliser. In Waikato between 1930 and 1951 the average recorded catch was 46 tonnes a year. By the 1980s it had fallen to an average 10 tonnes a year. In the year 2000 it was three tonnes. Now it is sure to be much, much less. The decline of the whitebait began when forests were cleared and wetlands drained for farmland, destroying their habitat and spawning places. The decline continued as estuaries silted and dams and culverts stopped migration paths. Now the nutrients from intensive farming further degrade the water quality of streams and rivers. The Department of Conservation, which manages the species, says the contribution of whitebaiting to

the species’ decline is unknown but is considered less significant than the loss of habitat. This may be true but it is a specious response. No doubt those opposing shooting native pigeon used forest clearance as a similar diversion. Certainly the loss and degradation of freshwater habitat are huge factors in the decline of whitebait but why add to it with continued harvesting? Catching whitebait means that there are fewer fish to reach breeding age – yet another nail in the whitebait’s coffin. Whitebaiting is regulated with a fishing season and rules about net size and stream coverage. But there is no quota and no one knows how many whitebait are caught on their journey upstream. To ban whitebaiting entirely would be a draconian measure but here are some suggestions that could improve the lot of both whitebait and the recreational whitebaiters. n Ban catching whitebait for sale: Make whitebait for the locals to catch and to eat, not for the restaurant trade or the side-of-the-road traders, who are unregulated and probably untaxed. n Stagger the whitebait seasons: Let recreational fishers catch whitebait on alternate years so that, in the years between, all the whitebait swim safely upstream. Then there would be more breeding fish and in time, maybe more whitebait to catch.

1 If whitebaiters want their sport to survive

and even revive, they should care about the welfare of whitebait’s parent fish. Photo: davidhallet.co.nz

2 IĪnanga, the most numerous of the whitebait

species, live in the lower reaches of rivers and streams and in swamps. Photo: Stella McQueen

3 Banded kōkopu are excellent climbers so they

can live far up small tributaries beneath native forest. Photo: Eldon Dennis/DOC

4 Kōaro swim far inland up fast-flowing, rocky

streams. Photo: Alton Perrie

5 There is no quota for whitebait catches and

no one knows how many are caught on their journey upstream. Photo: Ann Graeme

3 n

Shorten the season for catching whitebait: Don’t allow it in the final month of October which is when most of the whitebait of the banded and giant kōkopu swim up river. They are the most endangered species so such a restriction would really help them. (This strategy was recommended to DOC in a science report in 1992.) n Do a lot more restoration of rivers, streams and wetlands. Unless we act to protect both our native fish and their habitat, they will continue to decline and so will the pasttime of whitebaiting. It is time to give the tiny shoals a chance to survive. It is time to think beyond the frypan.

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community

conservation

Community to protect rare frogs Forest & Bird’s Te Puke branch is moving to phase two in their bid to save a Hochstetter’s Frog. likely to be classified as critically endangered. Branch chairwoman Cathy Reid says a community group is being set up to watch over the frogs at the Te Puke Stone Enterprises old quarry site to protect them from people, dogs, horses, and motorbikes. About 200 of the Ōtawa frogs (Leiopelma hochstetteri ōtawa) are believed to be at the ex-quarry, which is DOC land. Cathy says the Ōtawa frog is a sub-species of the Hochstetter, making it the most endangered frog in the world. Ōtawa frogs are found only next to two streams in the quarry, and “their genetic composition is so different

The Hoschstetter’s frog is aquatic and the least endangered of New Zealand’s three native frogs. Photo: Grant Capill

on every level they will probably qualify as an entirely separate species”. “There’s still a bit of genetic work to be done but not enough money to do it yet. The priority has been to get them to live.” Of the three native New Zealand frogs, the Hochstetter is aquatic and the least endangered; the Maud Island frog (Leiopelma pakeka) is nationally endangered and the Archey’s frog (Leiopelma archeyi) is internationally classified as critically endangered. Both of these frogs are terrestrial. The Hochstetter frog is classified as vulnerable whereas the Ōtawa is so significantly different that Cathy believes it will be classified as critically endangered. Last October Te Puke branch members and DOC staff had a working bee at the quarry site after DOC removed culverts which had split the Ōtawa population into two. The aim is for the frog populations to now join up again to maintain genetic diversity for survival of the species. Removal of the culverts also ends road access into the frog population zone. The soil removed when the culverts were taken out is piled on each side of the old road. During the working bee manuka was spread over the bare soil and pegged in using manuka stakes. This will keep the soil in place and help new plants colonise the area. The quarry was closed in the 1990s because the owner did not adhere to the access agreement conditions about bulldozing no closer than 20 metres to the two streams. However, Cathy says the owner was still able to bulldoze within the quarry to get rock for his own roads, which he did until 2013.

Our partners

Go Green Expo returns to Auckland If you’re in the market for green transport options or building products, good food or renewable energy – and who isn’t? – the next Go Green Expo is worth highlighting in your (Forest & Bird) calendar. The expo also features cooking and gardening demonstrations, workshops, and seminars, and a Forest & Bird stall – compliments of the expo’s organisers. It will be held in Auckland (on April 18 and 19), and then in Christchurch and Wellington later in the year. For a list of exhibitors, or for details on how to become an exhibitor, go to www.gogreenexpo.co.nz.

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Things Welcome

Birds to your garden

Heaps of puzzles & activities

WoIoNl c zes pri

KCC is Forest & Bird’s kids’ club. Each KCC kid gets 4 Wild Things magazines a year and in some areas can join KCC group trips. KCC is fun and has been inspiring kids for over 20 years. Join your kids up at www.forestandbird.org.nz/kcc now. Forest & Bird

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community

conservation

Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary sets an inspirational example The last wild kiwi in Otago died 150 years ago and the statistics on other native wildlife are equally grim. Since humans arrived in New Zealand one-third of our bird species have become extinct, and so have nearly half of our native frogs. While the damage can’t be undone, a future can be created for the very special creatures of New Zealand’s past. Nestled between the mountains of Mihiwaka and Mopanui 20 minutes north of Dunedin, the beautiful Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary occupies a forested valley three kilometres long by about one kilometre wide, with views down to an estuary and the sea. Known also as Te Korowai (treasured cloak) o Mihiwaka, the ecosanctuary was enclosed by a nine-kilometre pest exclusion fence in 2007 to create 307 hectares of highly protected habitat. It is slowly being returned to its rich biodiverse habitat.

Opened to visitors in 2009, Ōrokonui is now the flagship biodiversity project for the South Island. The specialist fence and the eradication of 13 pest species within it enables the ultimate protection “in the wild” for a multitude of rare birds, reptiles and plants. The nature reserve provides a safe habitat for 17 native bird species, including the re-introduced, endangered Haast tokoeka kiwi, takahē, saddleback, kākā and robin. Fernbirds have found their way into the sanctuary, and kererū and tūī now nest inside. Tuatara, Otago jewelled gecko and Otago skinks will soon be joined by grand skinks. Thirteen rare plant species have been re-introduced and the forest is thriving, flowering and fruiting prolifically in the absence of mammal browsers. For its wildlife, plants and haven qualities, Ōrokonui is a magical place. A network of walking tracks to suit all abilities allows close encounters with flora and fauna not easily seen elsewhere in the South Island and motivates visitors towards taking action for conservation. Raising awareness about the plight of our rare species and their habitats is a key focus of the ecosanctuary and 6500 students participate in the hands-on education programme each year. 44

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The ecosanctuary is also a great place for researchers to study species in an environment free from predators. Researchers from the University of Otago, the Department of Conservation and other institutions work closely with staff and volunteers from the ecosanctuary. Being just a short drive from Dunedin’s renowned research institutions, it is more convenient for researchers than a distant predator-free island or in an isolated mountain valley. Ōrokonui is an inspirational example of what a community group can achieve with vision, dedication and perseverance. The love that Dunedin people hold for New Zealand’s wildlife is evident in the huge effort over many years to create the ecosanctuary. Staff are joined by a team of hard-working volunteers who contribute more than 12,000 hours every year. Key partners are the University of Otago, local iwi Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Education. Many funding bodies (particularly the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board) and sponsors are essential in providing funds, along with membership subscriptions, generous donations and bequests. Visitor entry fees, venue hire, shop and café revenue also contribute to Ōrokonui’s conservation and education work. Forest & Bird Dunedin has been a key supporter since the beginning – with wilding pine felling, financial support (through the Dr Marjorie Barclay Trust), and the

Derek Kelsey (left) and Pauline Smith setting up a trapping line as part of the Pest Free Peninsula project.

development and maintenance of the main walking track. Shared aims mean Forest & Bird and Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary share many members and volunteers. The future looks bright for Ōrokonui. A national award-winning Visitor and Education Centre welcomes and informs visitors and provides a stunning venue for corporate meetings, weddings, seminars and education groups. A sound business model ensures the ecosanctuary remains debt-free and an Ōrokonui Foundation Trust has recently been established to ensure long-term security. With five years under its belt, Ōrokonui is becoming a hub for increasing biodiversity in coastal Dunedin. It is fortunate in having contiguous forest reaching in all directions and neighbouring land managers are being encouraged to undertake some level of pest control and revegetation on their land to provide good habitat for birds that fly over the fence. This “halo effect” will enable the establishment of populations of rare species elsewhere and contribute to the ambitious aim of a pest-free New Zealand. n Chris Baillie A new photographic booklet Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary is now available online www.orokonui.org.nz

1 The entrance to Ōrokonui’s

national award-winning Visitor and Education Centre. Photo: Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary

2 A blessing ceremony for

the tuatara re-introduction. Photo: Bruce Cathro

3 School students are

captivated by an Otago Skink. Photo: Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary

4 Sirocco the kakapo with

minder Karin Ludwig. Photo: Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary.

5 Otago jewelled gecko. Photo:

Mandy Tocher

Choking off peninsula pests Our Hibiscus Coast branch is making fast progress in its plan to control pests on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula north of Auckland. The Pest Free Peninsula project is supporting conservation in the sanctuaries at Shakespear Regional Park at the end of the peninsula, and nearby Tiritiri Matangi Island, as well as the North-West Wildlink project. Pest Free Peninsula is led by former branch chair Pauline Smith, who had the idea more than a decade ago when attending meetings about conservation at Shakespear park, where a predator-proof fence was completed in 2011. “All along I was wondering how we could support this project. Eventually I came to the conclusion the best way would be to stop the pests outside the fence and to work controlling them along the peninsula,” Pauline says. Pest control on the peninsula is also part of North-West Wildlink, a project to create a nature-friendly corridor linking the Hauraki Gulf island sanctuaries to the Waitākere Ranges in Auckland’s west. Although the peninsula has been largely developed, pockets of bush remain and it is home to an unusually wide range of reptiles. The creation of the Auckland Council supercity in 2010 led to new funding being available for pest control and community conservation. In January last year, Pest Free Peninsula laid its first bait stations at Karaka Cove, a residential area bordering the Weiti River. The site was chosen because it is one of the narrowest points on Whangaparāoa Peninsula, making it an ideal spot for controlling passing pest animals. Since then 22 possums have been killed in a single trap near the river. Pauline and her growing team of volunteers are now expanding their trapping and baiting programme to other public reserves, as well as the local golf course and a private housing estate. She hopes to set up trapping and baiting at three other choke points along the peninsula and then to work clearing pests between those points. Just a year into the life of the project, bait stations and trap lines have been installed in eight areas on the peninsula, covering a total of 84 hectares. Eventually there will be a big effort to tackle weed plants too. “This is a built-up area now but it is certainly realistic to get the pest numbers down and to keep them down. But if we get everyone behind the project, we could pretty well eliminate the pests.” Forest & Bird

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community

conservation

Manawatū hosts gorge walks The Manawatū branch has been working with Destination Manawatū to provide Forest & Bird members and the general public with hosted walks in the Te ĀpitiManawatū Gorge. Every Sunday from January 11 till March 29, 2015 (except Sunday 22 February) the Manawatū branch is hosting walks through Te Āpiti-Manawatū Gorge, taking visitors along the main 10-kilometre track. The walks link-in with the Te Āpiti Shuttle, providing transport from the Palmerston North City i-Site to the start of the walk and providing a pick-up and return from the other end. Te Āpiti-Manawatū Gorge is a landmark of awe-inspiring legend, geographical magnificence, and cultural wealth, and two hosts from the Manawatū branch give participants an opportunity to learn about the flora and fauna of Te Āpiti-Manawatū Gorge, plus some fascinating history of the area. For more information visit www.teapiti.com

Visitors are taken along the main 10-kilometre gorge walk. Photo: A. McClelland

Nature trail being modernised

The trail is an indication of what most of lowland Manawatū looked like more than 100 years ago. Photo: A. McClelland 46

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The Palmerston North Esplanade bush is one of the last pieces of native forest left in Palmerston North. It has been modified over the years, but remains an indication of what most of lowland Manawatū looked like more than 100 years ago. The Manawatū branch has a long history with the Palmerston North Esplanade bush remnant. In the 1960s a group, including F&B Manawatū branch members, examined the Esplanade Bush and made proposals to Palmerston North City Council which included restoration of species no longer present, elimination of harmful exotics, protection of the understorey, and development of the reserve for public enjoyment and educational purposes.Eventually, in November 1971 (Palmerston North’s centennial year), the Forest & Bird Nature Trail was created and opened. Then in November 1990, the F&B Nature Trail was upgraded with new signs and an information pamphlet. The branch is once again revamping the nature trail, working with Palmerston North City Council to create a more informative bush walk with modern signs and QR codes. It is planned that the upgraded trail will be opened by March, and a “kid’s information trail” will be created out of the old fernery trail by the end of this year.

Naturepath bid to protect dotterels A Naturepath is being campaigned for in Auckland’s North Shore in a bid to keep a walk-cycleway out of Shoal Bay, a site of special wildlife interest and dotterel nesting area. It is a Forest & Bird North Shore branch initiative for a nature-friendly walkway and cycleway linking the proposed Skypath over Auckland harbour bridge with the Northcote and Takapuna communities via Tuff Crater Reserve. This route avoids the Shoal Bay area which is a Site of Special Wildlife Interest. Rare birds feed, roost and breed in this area, including the endangered NZ dotterel with nesting sites along the western side of Shoal Bay along the motorway edge. The Skypath is a cycleway across the Auckland bridge, and a private urban design firm has proposed a walkcycleway dubbed Seapath on the western seaward side of Shoal Bay linking the Skypath to Takapuna. However North Shore branch chair Richard Hursthouse says alarms bells rang when members realised the Seapath would run next to a dotterel nesting site and they feared the birds would be at risk of being disturbed by people and dogs. The branch has produced and printed 4000 copies of a pamphlet outlining their Naturepath proposal and it has been widely distributed in the area. Richard says it is purely an advocacy document and no costings or designwork have been done. The branch has also approached the New Zealand Transport Agency , local MPs, and the Auckland Council and its local board, but Richard says it is frustrating not having just one organisation to deal with. “We’ve made representations to all these people that they can’t forget the natural values of Shoal Bay which are significant. “The NZTA says it will investigate our route and the opposite route and says it will consult with us again.” The North Shore branch was invited to a community meeting organised by Northcote residents in December attended by about 60 people to talk about Skypath and the proposed cycle/walkways. The branch has also begun a Naturepath blog – naturepathnorthshore.blogspot.co.nz Richard says the Naturepath connects better to the community and completes a link around Tuff Crater, something that residents have been seeking for a long time. It would create six or seven entry points to that circle and would “make it a really good circuit walk”. Naturepath could also be split, with walkers going one way and cyclists going the other. Tuff Crater has been a major restoration project for the branch. Track improvements around the crater over the past five years have cost about $80,000, with grants from Auckland Council and the Lion Foundation. “The idea of the track upgrades was so that we could get our 4WD vehicles in there in the wet planting season to get plants on site, to facilitate weed control and walking access and to improve amenity recreation for the public,” says Richard. The branch has also installed three seats, and two “clifftop” viewing stations.

Nature in the city Shoal Bay lies at the southern edge of the North Shore, between the motorway and the Devonport Peninsula. The bay is a high priority for the North Shore branch because it is a Site of Special Wildlife Interest, which is a DOC designation due to its importance for wading birds. Shoal Bay is a tidal estuary teeming with birdlife, crabs and other sea creatures when the water comes in. Like air in the lungs, the water ebbs and flows creating an ever-changing landscape. It has sandbars with intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh, and these are important areas for shore birds to feed. Five species of at-risk coastal birds are found at Shoal Bay and these depend on its food resources for survival at certain times of the year. They are the NZ Dotterel, reef heron, banded dotterel, Caspian tern and the wrybill. Many other species of birds are also seen including kōtare/kingfisher, tōrea pango/variable oystercatcher, matuku moana/white faced herons and poaka/pied stilt. Watch video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXZkulvVlB8

A dotterel at Shoal Bay. Photo: Philip Moll Forest & Bird

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community

conservation

Cat trapping a success Three cat-trapping programmes have been carried out by Eastern Bay of Plenty branch in bush reserves on the fringes of urban Whakatane. In the late 1990s, the branch saved a remnant kiwi population in the Ohope Scenic Reserve from removal by DOC, and stoat trapping began. Since then the local kiwi population has been successfully protected by the Whakatane Kiwi Trust and expanded beyond reserve boundaries. However, stray and feral cats continue to be a problem with people dumping unwanted animals on the edges of the reserves. In May 2013, nine cats were trapped near a main dump point. With the help of the regional council and a local benefactor, live-trapping programmes have demonstrated the effectiveness of this method to reduce cat numbers. Trapping of Kohi Point Scenic Reserve in May 2013 caught 20 cats and a follow-up programme in February last year just two. More recently a further programme in a nearby location caught three cats. Only two companion, or domestic, cats were trapped. All the cats were caught in live-capture cages so the domestic animals were able to be returned to their owners. While smooth-jawed leg-hold traps had been tried to catch feral cats, their use has been discontinued in favour of box or cage traps because cats were adept at avoiding the leg-hold traps. Pre-feeding was done for a week before setting the traps to capture.

The programme was sensitive to residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concerns about their cat being caught in a trap. Householders near reserves were visited by the trapping contractor and a branch member to develop a database of domestic cats. Owners were offered free identification collars and microchips for their pets, which were also photographed to aid identification should they subsequently be trapped. Specific detail was included in the contract schedule so contractors were well versed and understood the project. Press releases were deliberately not done but a prepared document was ready in case of adverse publicity. Senior council staff were briefed in advance. The consultation revealed community support for the programme which was very carefully planned through questionnaires, fact sheets, identification of pets, and strict compliance with regulations and animal welfare rules. Traps cannot be laid within 150 metres of a dwelling without the landownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consent. It was intended to give feedback after the job to the landowners but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen until the second operation consultation. The message is to talk with the neighbours before you do anything else, so that you know where the risks lie and can take measures to avoid them. Questionnaires, fact sheets and contract plans are available from the branch.

Eastern Bay Forest and Bird chairman Mark Fort with one of the live capture traps that have caught 22 cats. Photo: Whakatane Beacon 48

| Forest & Bird

Tai Haruru Lodge

LODGES Arethusa Cottage Near Pukenui, Northland Sleeps 6 herbit@xtra.co.nz 09 405 1720

Ruapehu Lodge Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park Sleeps 32 office@forestandbird.org.nz 04 385 7374

Mangarākau Swamp Field Centre North-west Nelson Sleeps 10 javn@xtra.co.nz 03 525 6031

Piha, West Auckland Sleeps 6 hop0018@slingshot.co.nz 09 812 8064

Waiheke Island Cottage Onetangi Sleeps 8 09 372 7662

William Hartree Memorial Lodge Near Patoka, Hawke’s Bay Sleeps 10 hayhouse@clear.net.nz 06 844 4651

Matiu/Somes Island house Wellington Harbour Sleeps 8 wellingtonvc@doc.govt.nz 04 384 7770

Tautuku Forest Cabins Ōwaka, Otago Sleeps 16 diana-keith@yrless.co.nz 03 415 8024

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More information is available from the Trust, at: PO Box 10-359, Wellington

Forest & Bird

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White Heron Sanctuary Tours Come with us, RAINFOREST, NATURE and JETBOATING TOURS, all year round. Viewing of nesting colony from September to March. Ph. 0800 52 34 56

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Send cheque and delivery details to Mercury Pots Plus PO Box 72042 Papakura 2244, Auckland Tel 09 298 0955 Fax 09 298 0950 email: mercurypots@xtra.co.nz

Price $89 inc GST and Postage

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BIRD TOURS

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New Book Hard Cover, A4 size 300 pages, 600 photos Full of facts RRP only $59.95

Available in many bookshops or request from: Unique Pictorials, PO Box 848, Wanganui 4540.

info@upics.co.nz www.upics.co.nz

(see sample pages on website)

Advertise to Forest & Bird readers here Please contact Karen Condon PHONE

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Professor Penguin: Discovery and Adventure with Penguins By Lloyd Spencer Davis Random House, $39.99 Reviewed by Ann Graeme Penguins are remarkable birds and so are the scientists who study them, but few are such gifted storytellers as Lloyd Spencer Davis. He weaves three stories together; stories of the penguins, of the scientists who study them, and of himself. Along the way, besides discovering a great deal about penguins and the Antarctic, we find out about the natural world and ourselves. Davis writes from the point of view of a penguin, avoiding sentimentality and painting a picture of a bird that is stroppy, obstinate, inclined to steal, and readily promiscuous – traits that help it survive in one of the harshest places on Earth. It seems penguins are not the cute “mate for life” animals we’ve been led to believe. If you like reading Bill Bryson, you’ll love this book. Davis’ wry, witty narrative is beguiling. Penguins have shaped his life and 35 years of studying them has taught him a great

deal about the natural world and himself. He is more than just a clever writer and academic – he is a philosopher and an ambassador for the natural world in our fast-changing times.

Land of Birds, An illustrated tribute to the birds of New Zealand By Niels Meyer-Westfeld Craig Potton Publishing, $49.99 Reviewed by Phil Bilbrough This is a tactile book. I feel that I need to lightly move my hand across each page, as if I expect to feel the feathers and bristling personalities of each of the beautifully drawn birds. Niels is a great artist. He accurately, expertly and academically illustrates our wonderful native birds, yet composes them in a way that he brings you into their world. This book is a fascinating study of New Zealand birds and of an artist. On each page Niels includes a paragraph of facts about each bird, and his own notes about the illustration. The facts aren’t required. This isn’t a facts book. It’s a feelings book, and one that I can only recommend.

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A Photographic Guide to Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand By Robert Hoare New Holland series of natural history field guides, $25.99 Reviewed by Ann Graeme To test a guide book you need to try it out so I set off in pursuit of some moths. “Pursuit” isn’t quite true as I found a beautiful one, boldly patterned with gold and cream, dead on the carpet. There it was in the book. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t a rare native species, but rather the Oriental leafworm moth, a selfintroduced immigrant whose larva eats garden plants. Then I found an endemic plume moth flitting erratically around the lawn. It looked like a flying T-bar with its narrow wings, and it stayed still long enough for me to identify it. The guide book tells me it may have been looking for a plantain to lay eggs on so its larvae can feed on the seed heads. I have left patches of lawn unmown to encourage it. This guide book is an excellent introduction, both to our butterfly species and to the vast and largely unnoticed world of moths. It covers a well-chosen selection of families and each named species is illustrated with clear, colourful photographs. The text includes fascinating details that kindle the imagination. Anyone curious about our natural world will find this sturdy little guide book a treasure.

Buller’s Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans By Geoff Norman Te Papa Press, $59.99 Reviewed by Jay Harkness The term “coffee-table book” may sound pejorative, but there are worse things in the world than celebrating the uniqueness of New Zealand birds, which is what Buller’s Birds of New Zealand amounts to. It may also fuel your desire to see them better protected, which of course is no bad thing either. Perhaps what is wrong about books of this type is that they often seem not to be read, presumably because of their awkward size. Instead, people may only ever flick through them. This never does justice to the subject, or to those whose work appears in the book. This is especially so with Buller’s Birds. Richly detailed pictures of birds – alive with movement – are now commonplace, thanks to digital photography. But the stories in the well-rounded introduction breathe real life into the plates that follow. They tell of the painstaking creation of each image by illustrator JG Keulemans (printed using a complex colour lithography technique, the groundbreaking technology of his age). And then there are the sad stories of the individual birds and whole species that “didn’t make it” (a product of his time, it seems Buller would be shocked by his actions if he were alive today). The book itself, and especially its cover, borrow nicely from the content within. And Stephen Fry’s foreword – naturally enough – is funny, eloquent, and as British as kippers.

Some Notes on the Brown Kiwi of Taranaki By Sid Marsh $35 Reviewed by Marina Skinner Sid Marsh is an ace kiwi tracker and knows the wilds of Taranaki almost as well as the brown kiwi he has kept tabs on. His latest book documents the incredible work carried out by many Taranaki people to ensure the survival of kiwi in their

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neighbourhood. Forest & Bird gets a mention, notably Eltham member Rex Hartley, who in 2008 was a joint winner with Bob Walkington of Forest & Bird’s Pestbuster award. Marsh concentrates on the kiwi work he and others have done during the past decade at important sites including Pūrangi, Aotuhia, Lake Rotokare, Mākino and the alarmingly named Te Umukiwi (the kiwi oven). At times Marsh reveals so much detail about individual kiwi or project milestones that I imagine it would be useful only for people closely connected with the topics. Hundreds of photos show Taranaki’s kiwi conservationists at work, and Marsh’s 33 beautifully drawn illustrations tell an even fuller story. With more than half the book’s 218 pages filled with photos and illustrations, there’s a scrapbook feel to it. Many Taranaki residents or visitors would get a great buzz from seeing the conservation activity in their region.

Hope On Earth: A Conversation By Paul R. Ehrlich and Michael Charles Tobias University of Chicago Press, $39 Reviewed by Craig Potton This book consists of an edited and embellished dialogue between Paul R. Ehrlich, author of the now famous Population Bomb and Michael Tobias, an environmental film-maker, author of more than 40 books, and an animal rights activist who has a bird sanctuary on Rakiura. Short and easy to read, the book is deeply philosophical and might easily have been titled “No Hope for the Earth”. The usual litany of conservationists’ woes – global warming, species extinction, habitat loss, over-population and pollution – is cited in compelling and erudite detail. Both authors bemoan the lack of individual, social and political will to bring these suicidal environmental catastrophes under some restraint. In fact, it is clear within the opening gambit of the first conversation that the authors know too much to be complacent, but feel compelled to encourage others to take action (as they both are) against the ongoing destruction of the natural world. The ethical dimension looms large as both want to tease out what moral imperatives might motivate action in individuals and communities. Tobias runs an argument deeply grounded in compassion for all living creatures and thus not surprisingly concludes that vegetarianism is a valid life-changing response. Erlich, on the other hand, espouses a “humane” version of a hunter-gatherer perspective in which he asks for a controlled response in an over-populated and out-of-control consumer-driven society. For New Zealanders, this book raises the relevant observation that there is a strong historical connection between the preservation movement and animal rights movement. Roderick Nash, in his Wilderness and the American Mind, has made it crystal clear that the movements developed in concert with each other. Given our need to kill large numbers of imported mammalian pests, this area of the book’s discourse should give Kiwis a reason to reassess how we deal with this problem because if we don’t, there will remain the inevitable significant differences of opinion we see around the difference between the SPCA’s and conservationists’ attitudes to cats. It is also a book for questioning the extent to which one should get intensely involved in local issues or concentrate most time and energy on national and international campaigns, and another dilemma of saving individuals or saving species. These authors have done the hard yards and give useful advice on how to avoid “battle weariness”. It’s a great book, jammed with very relevant material handled in a very readable style. In short – a ‘must read’.

Parting shot The Asiatic whimbrel is a rare visitor to Manawatū, and it is more than 10 years since Alex L. Scott last saw another there. This one was enjoying crabs from the mud-flats at the Foxton estuary in very windy conditions. Alex says it may have flown in with the godwit flocks though it was in an area with pied stilts. Fortunately, this particular spot is rich in crabs, which before bollards were put in place tended to be damaged by off-road vehicles. Alex used a Sony alpha 65 with 400mm zoom for this photo. Correction: November’s parting shot was of an alpine plant called R. Sericophyllus. It was wrongly captioned as Ranunculus haastii. We apologise for the error.

If you are a Forest & Bird member and you have a stunning photo that showcases New Zealand’s special native plants or animals, it could be the next Parting Shot. Each published Parting Shot photo will receive a GorillaPod JGP3 worth $159.95. The GorillaPod is a portable, packable heavy-duty tripod that keeps your camera equipment steady, no matter where you might be.

Please send a low-res digital file and brief details about your photo to Phil Bilbrough at p.bilbrough@forestandbird.org.nz Winners will be asked for higher-resolution files.

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