Maungatautari – creating an ecological treasure

21/09/2006 00:00:00 From a distance, the 3400 hectares of native forest on the dormant volcano, Maungatautari, in New Zealand, looks lush and thriving. Meandering through the bush, however, one gets a different perspective. The forest floor is not a mass of emerging seedlings, and there is an absence of birdcalls. The culprits are a range of ‘pests’ including the possum, rat, mouse, cat, stoat, weasel, ferret, goat and deer that man introduced to this land.

In its heyday, before the arrival of man, Maungatautari supported a complete ecosystem – the highlight would have been the deafening dawn chorus of bird calls. Now, only 86 kakapo (New Zealand’s native ground dwelling parrot) and approximately 615 pairs of North Island kokako (one of two remaining wattlebirds) are left in the wild, and kiwi (New Zealand’s national icon) numbers currently decline at 6% per year. Longing to hear the flute notes of the kokako, the shrill of the kiwi, and the boom of the kakapo, the community has rallied resources to reintroduce a range of ‘lost’ wildlife to Maungatautari.

A plan has been developed to build a specially designed pest-proof fence around the bush line of the mountain, to eradicate all the introduced ‘pests’, from inside the fence and then to return many of the species that once lived there.

Fence builders, animal behaviourists, scientists and pest eradication experts combined their knowledge and experience to develop a barrier fence that prevents pests from climbing over, under or through. This fence has already been built around two enclosures, and following a pest eradication operation in them, these 65 and 35 hectare areas were both declared safe for kiwi in July 2005. Seven kiwi are now thriving there and the forest floor is regenerating. Although still ‘work in progress’ the enclosures are proving popular with tourists and school groups.

The approximately 47km perimeter pest-proof fence around the entire mountain is to be completed during 2006, and immediately followed by a pest eradication operation. The results of the pest monitoring exercise will determine exactly when native wildlife can be safely relocated.

In just three short years a community has worked together to raise millions of dollars in funding to begin creating this ecological treasure. In the future a visit to Maungatautari will be taking a step back in time to experience life as it was before the arrival of man to this remote corner of the earth.

For further information, please visit www.maungatrust.org