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Kepa Bush coastal forest protection

• Project background
• Vision and objectives
• Volunteer activities
• Results

Project background

Kepa Bush Reserve lies on the eastern slopes of the valley containing the Purewa Creek, which flows past Orakei Basin and then to Hobson Bay. The reserve covers 14 hectares and was established in 1962 when the council purchased it from St John's College.

Since then the local community has played an important role in developing the reserve. Tracks have been built, and in 2001 the council introduced specialist weed management to help promote regeneration of the native bush. The bush is still growing back after it had been cleared for farming, and it is therefore not mature enough to provide the special habitats (living places and food supplies) required by many native birds. However, a variety of birds visit including tui, fantail (piwakawaka), grey warbler (riroriro), morepork (ruru), silvereye (tauhou) and native pigeon (kereru).

In addition to specialist weed control, the council recognised a need for intensive animal pest control to occur to protect valuable coastal forest plants in the park. Of particular note are the remnant kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile) which are described by botanists as being 'cauliflorous'. This is a latin term meaning 'having flowers on the stem'. Kohekohe are extremely prone to possum browsing.

In August 2005, the council installed a network of animal pest control stations, and appealed to local residents for assistance. Today 12+ volunteers regularly visit a network of animal control stations to ensure possums and rodent populations remain low.

Vision and objectives

Vision

To create a wildlife sanctuary: a predator-free zone for the protection of coastal forest plants, birds and insects.

Objectives

• to reduce possum and rat numbers to low levels
• to expand current pest control activities to feral cats and stoats
• to protect remnant stands of coastal forest plants
• to establish bird, insect and invertebrate monitoring sites
• to encourage students to study flora and fauna.

Volunteer activities

A number of opportunities exist for volunteers. They include:

• animal pest control
• animal pest monitoring
• bird monitoring and nest searching
• creation of educational materials about the project
• planting and weeding
• opportunities for research students studying the impacts of urbanisation on ecology
• track maintenance.

Results

Animal pest control volunteers check and re-load traps twice per week during Autumn (March to May) and Spring (August to December). The results of their efforts can be seen below:

You can contact us if you would like more information about this project.

Updated January 2011