OurAuckland chats to Andrew Sinclair, a member of the Whakaupoko Landcare Group, which carries out pest control in the Franklin region.
Simple steps to a predator-free region
Deep in the Franklin region, a community has banded together to protect the native wildlife and habitat in their catchment area.
There are 100 households in the group with a shared interest in protecting and enriching their local biodiversity. For more than 15 years they’ve teamed up to carry out pest control together.
The approach has been simple: setting up bait stations and regularly monitoring the pest and bird populations. Andrew is enthused at the difference they’ve made. By rebaiting stations only four times a year they’ve seen bird numbers jump and the pest population drop.
Tips for fellow conservation heroes
Andrew says seeing the native wildlife flourish is heartening for the community.
“We can just go and watch the kererū and tūī clowning around; it’s so exciting seeing the return of New Zealand’s native birds.”
“Ten years ago kākā were seldom seen – now their numbers are growing every year. Will bellbirds, kōkako and weka make it back to this area one day?”
He encourages aspiring conservation heroes to start small and just go for it, one simple step at a time.
“The future is promising; our main message is just get started in your own area and keep at it.”
To get involved in conservation efforts check out Pest Free Auckland 2050.
