Northland’s native forests and wildlife are a lot better off without 708,536 pests trapped by groups and projects linked into Kiwi Coast over the last ten years.
Kiwi Coast Trust’s annual collation of trap catch data shows the huge positive impact of Northlanders working collaboratively to reduce pest animals that know no boundaries.
Kiwi Coast coordinator Ngaire Sullivan said “The 708,536 pests collectively trapped over the last ten years are testament to the ongoing hard work of Northlanders on the farms, forests and private blocks.
In 2022 alone, 116,952 animal pests were trapped by Kiwi Coast groups and projects, each defending their patch of paradise from predators. That’s around 2,250 pests being trapped every week and no longer breeding, feeding and predating on our native wildlife.”
The ten year total for the pests now includes 306,217 possums, 273,978 rodents, 12,626 stoats and 8,648 feral cats.
“This is having a real and tangible impact. Birdsong has returned to once silent forests and nationally critical species such as pekapeka / bats are becoming more evident. Results from monitoring taonga species such as kiwi and pāteke, show they are thriving in Te Tai Tokerau, but declining or absent elsewhere in Aotearoa.”
The Kiwi Coast initiative continues to grow each year as more groups and projects join the network. Currently, 210 entities are linked into Kiwi Coast, covering over 245,000 hectares. Kiwi Coast supports and links projects to build continuous trapping networks across the landscape to revitalise native forests and boost the breeding and safe dispersal of native wildlife into new areas.
“It’s amazing what can be achieved when we all work together – these results not only demonstrate the sheer hard work being done by Northlanders and the scale of effort, but also generate a sense of pride and mana in the results achieved. It helps to show that individually, groups are achieving great results, but together they are achieving something truly phenomenal.”
With funding from Foundation North and Northland Regional Council, Kiwi Coast Trust provided on the-ground-support to keen communities, hapū and iwi in the way of traps, training, technical advice and special wildlife support. Projects were also assisted to carry out strategic pest control operations aimed at reducing trap-wise pests with toxins, once trapping had cleared out all that it could.
The next step of creating pest-free peninsulas is also well underway, with Kiwi Coast Trust providing specific support to help coordinate and boost the 60,000ha predator control zone in eastern Whangarei with the NRC Predator Free Whangarei Project and amplify the Pest Free Purerua Project in the Bay of Islands.
Kiwi Coast Trust Chairman Mike Camm said “We share the vision of Northland’s cherished places and treasured tāonga species flourishing for generations to come. Working together, and each doing our bit, we can achieve it.”
To get involved contact Kiwi Coast Coordinator Ngaire Sullivan at ngaire@kiwicoast.org.nz
