by Koby Ryder
Australia has more than twenty conservation groups. New Zealand has only five. But in a relatively short time, a group of determined people in Auckland have made it clear that even a small band of volunteers do make a difference.
Tiritiri Matangi is a conservation triumph. Fifteen years ago, the former farm had only a few pockets of broadleaf forest left of its original vegetation and it was infested with Kiore, the Polynesian rat.
In a unique partnership between the Crown and Auckland's nature lovers, Tiri became an "open sanctuary" for rare and threatened fauna. Today, the 220 hectare island has been reforested with 3,00,000 trees and is Kiore-free for quite possibly the first time. The populations of endangered birds and lizards and insects grow with each passing year.
What started out as a experiment has become a world success story. "Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc", a group of dedicated volunteers working in partnership with Department of Conservation scientists and Auckland University academics have turned the island around. Close to Auckland, Tiri has become a significant centre for conservation education. Resident conversation officers have established a network of tracks that direct visitors away from sensitive areas to ensure that the large numbers of people do not have negative effects.
The Tiri project began in 1982, when it became obvious that bracken and a native matting grass were taking over the farmland that had been set aside for natural regeneration ten years previously. By 1984, volunteers were collecting seeds on the island, propogating them in a nursery, then replanting. By 1995, 60% of the 220 hectare island was regenerating and supporting large colonies of rare and endangered birds. Red-crowned Kakariki, Saddlebacks, Whiteheads, Brown Teal Ducks, Takahe, North Island Robin and Little Spotted Kiwi were moved to the island and continue to breed successfully.
This band of volunteers have proven what can be done and serves as an inspiration for new conservation groups springing up in the region.
Some of it will come from the environmental and conservation agencies such as the Royal New Zealand Forest and Bird Protection Society, Waitemata Harbour and Hauraki Gulf Protection Society, Christchurch Environment Centre, Manukau Harbour Protection Society, Greenpeace, Public Access New Zealand Gulf Defence and Campaign Against Dumping, but most of it will come from young people determined to keep Auckland a place fit for themselves and wildlife both.
Already there are a large number of individuals volunteering to plant trees and restore the original vegetation in appropriate areas to balance the loss of original habitats.