Back to nature project takes root

Marlborough’s newest native bush reclamation project has taken a huge step forward, with the delivery of 7000 saplings.

The Koru Native Wildlife Centre has seen major native plant growth on their test site in Grovetown.

Now their expansion project into a neighbouring paddock is underway as planting began on Friday with the help of Outward Bound volunteers.

Koru is run by Tui Nature Reserve

Wildlife Trust, who saw huge success with their Waitata Bay project in Pelorus Sound. The project breeds native species for release and runs advocacy programmes.

Tui Nature Reserve Wildlife Trust’s Ellen Plaisier says the idea is to create safe havens for native species.

“The project developed from our predator free control in the Marlborough Sounds, and we’ve decided to expand our project closer to Blenheim to show it’s possible anywhere to create a safe haven where the smaller creatures like Marlborough green geckos, giant wētā and kākāriki live without threat,” Ellen explains.

“Our project has been going for 20 years in the Sounds, but we wanted to find somewhere closer to Blenheim to prove our process works anywhere.”

“Ellen approached our operations manager for us to get involved, because one section of Outward Bound is to spend a few days assisting at local projects,” says Outward Bound Instructor Kate Gloeggler.

“It’s so important for us to help out at projects like Koru, because every morning meeting we have a sustainability message about making the world a better place every day, and Ellen’s work does that for thriving native wildlife, absorbing carbon emissions and restoring a natural balance between us and nature”.

Koru’s ultimate goal is to create native planted pockets around Marlborough usings places in parks, gardens, vacant or retired blocks of land. Long term, the project hopes to include waterways and eventually expand to vulnerable aquatic species.

“Natives are such no fuss plants and look great in people’s gardens all year round, there’s so much variety, the plants basically feed each other and they’re pretty cheap to create a handsome garden that nourishes the soil and other plants around it with very little maintenance needed”, Ellen says.

“Plants don’t always look after the soil they grow in so proving our native process works is great. “We will need help from the community to put in 7000 plants this year.

“People are welcome any time to help with our planting programme where they can, making it easier for vulnerable species to thrive here while learning about them and changes they can make at home at the same time”. Learn more about the work Ellen and the Koru Native Wildlife Center is doing, and get in touch to join the planting effort, at https://www.koruwildlife.nz/