Three community-led environmental initiatives walked away winners in a recent international competition.
The SERA (Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia) award recognises excellence in ecological restoration projects from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Motutapu Restoration Trust and Motuora Restoration Society, along with an Australian counterpart, jointly received SERA excellence awards. Cascade Kauri Park’s Ark in the Park was Highly Commended. They have been operating as eco-restoration projects for 23, 26, and 14 years respectively.
All three community-led projects benefit from working with Auckland Council’s biodiversity and biosecurity teams. This partnership between community and council sees the native flora and fauna of these protected areas flourish.
This is thanks to the community's effort to control pests, plants, and animals with the technical advice and support offered by Council staff.
Gael Ogilvie, General Manager for Environmental Services at Auckland Council, is thrilled with the results.
“The SERA awards are a testament to what we can achieve for the environment and community when we work together. That is, international results with a global impact.”
The awards were held at the joint conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration Australasia (SERA) & the New Zealand Ecological Society (NZES).
The theme was 'restoring resilience across all environments'.
