The Kiwi Link Community Pest Control Area (CPCA), involving 10 groups in eastern Whangarei, has completed another successful year.
Kiwi Link brings local landowners, farmers, forestry companies and government agencies together to restore biodiversity over approximately 14,000 ha between Taraunui and Ngunguru Ford in eastern Whangarei.
The project has been named the ‘Kiwi Link’, as the primary goal is to rebuild kiwi populations and connect the kiwi strongholds of the Whangarei Heads peninsula and Tutukaka Coast.
Results and highlights presented in the Year 4 Annual Report include:
- In addition to resources provided by NRC and Kiwi Coast Trust, over the last year landowners, land managers and local businesses contributed over $333,415 of unpaid labour and direct contributions showing their commitment and dedication to their native forests, wildlife and kiwi.
- An additional 150 predator traps were deployed into key gaps. This increased the total number of predator traps to 1,704 and further linked traplines of neighbouring groups into the growing combined predator trapping network between Whangarei Heads and Tutukaka.
- A further 6,596 animal pests were trapped by the groups and projects involved in Kiwi Link during 2019, taking the total trapped since 2017 to 20,077. The removal of these roaming animal pests will have benefitted not only the local native forests and wildlife, but also that of the adjoining Whangarei Heads and Tutukaka biodiversity strongholds.
- Kiwi monitoring data shows that kiwi numbers are already increasing at some sites within the Kiwi Link CPCA. Kiwi were recorded for the first time at a long-monitored site in the upper Rukuwai Stream valley in the Owhiwa Landcare, delighting the landowners involved.
- Male – female kiwi “duets” were recorded within the HFM Whanui, NRC Mt Tiger and Owhiwa Landcare project areas. As duets indicate breeding pairs of kiwi, this is good news for the Kiwi Link’s growing kiwi population.
- The confirmed movement of transmittered kiwi between the Whangarei Heads peninsula and through the Kiwi Link CPCA shows the kiwi corridor is beginning to work.
Overall, thanks to the dedication of the local landowners and funding supplied, the native forests and wildlife of the area are going from strength to strength. Kiwi populations are slowly increasing and dispersing through the area, and the increasing reports of kaka and bellbird indicates all the hard work is paying off.
The Predator Free Whangarei project poised to get underway will help amplify existing efforts and boost the projects involved towards pest eradication.
You can download a full copy of the Kiwi Link Year 4 Annual Report here.
To get involved in the Kiwi Link CPCA, contact Ngaire Sullivan the Kiwi Coast Coordinator.
