Local schools and businesses are being encouraged to monitor pest traplines in areas surrounding Rosedale Park as Te Hōnonga a Iwi shifts from focusing on a local restoration at Rosedale Park to a landscape scale restoration impacting the wider region.
“This means moving beyond the boundaries of the park to protect the areas we have already planted,” says project co-ordinator Nicky Shave.
Environmental restorations create more food sources for pests, which increases the pest population, so it’s important to put more traplines in planted areas and surrounding pest corridors.
“We know we have native birds, including endangered species such as the Moho pererū or banded rail, and New Zealand whitebait in the area and we want to protect them.”
Rangitoto College has taken the lead within local schools, owning a trapline that runs across the Albany Basin, and Albany Senior High School and Pinehurst School are also looking at whether they can help with this work.
Nicky says local businesses could take on ownership of a trapline near their premises, committing to checking it once a week, or people who work in the area could volunteer to be part of roster to check traplines.
“We would also like local businesses to consider trapping rats on their premises.”
The Upper Waitemata Ecology Network and Auckland Council can provide equipment and training for volunteers. UWEN Pest manager Louis Foot, with funding support from the council, has already cleared new paths, set up new trap lines and will offer all the education required to begin trapping across Fernhill Escarpment, Burnside Bush, Exeter Reserve and Lucas Creek.
“We want to create a network of traps across the basin,” Nicky says.
As part of the focus on restoring upstream to protect areas downstream that have already been restored, clearance work has begun at Exeter Reserve in Unsworth Heights. Planting and pest clearance will follow.
Scaling at pace, by moving from a local restoration to a wider, regional approach, amplifies the benefits of the work being done, and creates more opportunities to protect and increase the biodiversity in an area.
“For that to work, we need iwi, the education, sports and commercial sectors and the community to work together.”
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