| |
 Restoring
this
last
remnant
of
Te
Tapere
Nui
o
Whatonga
now
lies
in
the
hands
of
this
generation
of
New
Zealanders.
The
restoration
to
a
living
forest
full
of
birds
not
seen
here
for
over
50
years,
began
in
1996
when
North
Island
kaka
were
re-introduced.
This
small
population
was
managed
to
ensure
it
has
survived
and
bred
in
the
forest.
Now
their
future
is
much
brighter
with
management
of
the
predators.
This
project
will
cover
the
entire
forest
and
it
is
planned
to
ensure
the
numbers
of
rats
stoats
and
possums
are
reduced
right
down
to
give
the
kaka,
and
many
other
birds
that
could
be
returned
into
the
forest,
a
real
chance
to
increase.
With
intensive
pest
control
the
Mount
Bruce
Forest
will
see
a
50
percent
increase
in
bird
life
every
year
for
at
least
the
first
five
years,
and
possibly
many
years
beyond.
It
will
also
ensure
the
survival
of
our
rare
and
endangered
species
providing
habitat
for
up
to
600
kaka,
400
kokako,
500
kiwi,
and
thousands
of
tui,
fantail,
waxeye
and
other
native
species.
The
restoration
project
hopes
to
make
the
Pukaha
Mount
Bruce
forest
“alive”
again,
with
renewed
mauri
for
the
future.
So
far
we
have
achieved;
-
The
Pukaha
partnership,
neighbors,
iwi,
local
community
and
Regional
Councils
are
working
together.
-
Pests
that
devastated
Pukaha
have
been
dramatically
reduced.
-
Kaka
have
been
released
into
the
forest,
and
are
now
breeding
prolifically.
Over
40
birds
are
now
flying
free
and
visitors
are
able
to
experience
one
of
the
densest
populations
of
North
Island
kaka.
-
The
song
bird
of
the
forest,
the
kokako
was
once
prolific
in
Pukaha
Mount
Bruce
but
last
seen
40
years
ago
Birds
have
now
been
restored
to
the
forest.
-
Kiwi,
absent
for
over
a
100
years
have
been
returned.
-
This
was
the
first
time
in
the
history
of
New
Zealand,
that
Kiwi
and
Kokako
had
been
reintroduced
into
the
wild
to
a
place
on
the
mainland
that
they
had
become
extinct
from.
These
species
are
breeding
and
further
reintroductions
are
planned.
-
Wild
native
bird
populations
such
as
tui,
bellbird,
kereru
and
whiteheads
are
also
increasing
in
numbers.
-
The
innovative
“Sponsor
a
hectare”
scheme
that
enables
everyone
to
contribute
to
the
protection
of
a
hectare
of
forest
within
Pukaha
Mount
Bruce.
This
concept
has
now
been
adopted
by
other
restoration
projects.
-
Production
of
“Pukaha
Songs
of
the
Forest”,
a
CD
developed
with
Rangitaane
o
Wairarapa
and
featuring
the
highest
quality
bird
song
recording
and
our
own
Pukaha
waiata
performed
by
Rangitaane
o
Wairarapa.
-
We
are
leading
the
way
in
showing
that
it
is
possible
to
restore
our
precious
wildlife
back
into
the
wild
on
mainland
New
Zealand.
The
Restoration
Strategy
Introduced
animal
pests
have
caused
the
extinction
of
approximately
half
New
Zealand’s
bird
fauna.
Uncontrolled
animal
pests
limit
wildlife
numbers
and
the
species
that
can
be
introduced.
They
also
threaten
rare
plants,
forest
structure
and
composition,
lizards,
bats
and
invertebrates.Most
fauna
species
(especially
birds,
bats,
reptiles
and
mega-invertebrates)
are
threatened
with
predation
by
introduced
mammals.
Successful
establishment
of
populations
requires
intensive
and
ongoing
protection
from
these
predators.
Levels
of
vulnerability
to
predators
also
differ.
Transfer
from
wild
populations
and
captive
breeding
are
important
reintroduction
tools.
The
order
of
introductions
is
important.
Some
native
species
can
limit
the
establishment
of
other
native
species
through
predation
and
competition.
In
May
2001,
the
Department
of
Conservation,
Rangitaane
O
Wairarapa
and
the
National
Wildlife
Centre
Trust
joined
forces
to
restore
the
Pukaha
Mount
Bruce
Forest.
The
‘Pukaha
Restoration’
project
was
established
with
the
goal
being
to
restore
the
forest,
with
the
first
step
being
to
get
pest
numbers
down
to
very
low
levels.
This
agreement
was
formalised
with
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding
signed
by
the
three
parties.
It
was
acknowledged
at
the
time
that
the
restoration
project
would
need
to
be
fully
funded
by
the
community
to
be
viable.
Ongoing
annual
funding
in
the
vicinity
of
$150,000
per
annum
is
required
to
fund
a
project
of
this
magnitude.
Since
this
partnership
agreement
was
signed,
thousands
of
pests
-
rats,
stoats,
ferrets,
weasels,
mice,
hedgehogs
and
feral
cats
-
have
been
removed
from
the
Scenic
Reserve
and
surrounding
farmland.
In
mid-2002,
Greater
Wellington
Regional
Council
and
Horizons
Regional
Council
started
laying
traps
and
bait
stations
within
the
2700
hectares
of
private
land
surrounding
the
Scenic
Reserve.
Greater
Wellington
has
since
widened
the
control
area
to
further
improve
the
habitat
both
inside
and
outside
the
DOC
Reserve.
Progress
Over
100
kilometres
of
tracks
have
been
cut
within
the
reserve,
along
which
DOC
has
laid
rat-traps
every
50
metres
and
bait
stations
every
100
metres.
Close
to
1000
traps
have
been
laid
by
Greater
Wellington
and
Horizons
MW
Regional
Councils
and
are
checked
and
re-baited
weekly.
Pest
control
within
the
Reserve
has
been
funded
primarily
through
sponsorship
and
the
Department
of
Conservation.
Regional
Council
pest
control
has
been
achieved
through
direct
funding
from
Greater
Wellington
and
from
Regional
Initiatives
funding
from
Horizons
Regional
Council.The
success
of
the
pest
control
project
has
enabled
the
re-introduction
of
kokako
and
kiwi
into
the
forest.
Kokako
and
kiwi
have
been
extinct
from
the
area
for
at
least
sixty
and
one
hundred
years
respectively.
A
further
milestone
occurred
when,
just
six
months
after
the
release
of
the
parents,
two
kokako
chicks
fledged
in
early
February
2004
Kaka
have
also
benefited
from
the
restoration
project
and
the
wild
Pukaha
Mount
Bruce
kaka
population
had
increased
to
approximately
40
birds
when
numbers
were
last
recorded
in
May
2004
wild
native
bird
populations
such
as
tui,
bellbird,
kereru
and
whiteheads
have
also
increased
in
numbers
and
we
expect
to
see
a
50%
growth
in
native
bird
populations
over
a
number
of
years
once
the
area
is
freed
from
the
effects
of
pests. |
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