Kakapo

Twenty-six kakapo chicks are being hand-raised in Invercargill following a bumper breeding season.

The Department of Conservation kakapo recovery team set up 14 years ago has seen the population of the endangered bird rise from from 51 in 1995 to 124 today. The 2008/2009 breeding season produced a record 33 chicks, recovery team leader Deidre Vercoe said.

Twenty-seven female kakapo laid 71 eggs, 50 of which were fertile, but 14 embryos failed and three hatched chicks died.

Ms Vercoe said 26 of the chicks were being hand-raised in Invercargill while seven were being raised by their mothers on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, off Stewart Island.

So many had to be hand-raised because of a lack of ripe rimu fruit trees on the island.

"Some mothers were struggling to keep up with the demands of their hungry offspring, so in order to ensure their survival some of the chicks are being hand-raised."

Young chicks needed to be fed at least 10 times a day, while older ones were on about five feeds a day. "Without hand-rearing, only chicks from the 1981 and 2002 breeding seasons would have survived," she said.

The chicks would be taken to Codfish Island at the end of June and will stay in a pen for six weeks before their release.

- NZPA

Forwarded from the NZAEE (NZ Association of Environmental Educators)

On the 28th of May the National Government announced in the 2009 Budget significant cuts to environmental education (EE), education for sustainability (EfS) and adult community education (ACE) programmes funded through the Ministry of Education, and also to general sustainability initiatives funded by the Ministry for the Environment. The NZAEE Executive believe these funding cuts to be short-sighted in the context of a global shift towards environmental protection and sustainability, and also reckless in these times of recession when education, training and upskilling is vital and community demand for support initiatives is intensifying.

The 2009 Budget includes cuts to the following programmes and initiatives:

• The Enviroschools Foundation (who coordinate the Enviroschools programme nationally involving 670 schools)

• Education for Sustainability Advisory Services (EfS Advisors who provide curriculum support for teachers)

• Matauranga Taiao (EfS support for Kura Kaupapa Maori) • The Environmental Education Guidelines Review Project (technical EE/EfS support for teachers in schools)

• Adult Community Education (provision of community-based life-long learning classes - ie "night schools" - which fund sustainable living skills courses)

• Householder Sustainability Programme "What's your next step?" (coordinated by the Ministry for the Environment)

• Public Place Recycling Programme (funded by the Ministry for the Environment)

• Govt3 Programme (coordinated by the Ministry for the Environment to deliver leadership in sustainability practices by government agencies)

• The Sustainable Business Network (part-funded by the Ministry for the Environment)

These are small funding cuts in a financial sense, but will impact hundreds of thousands of people across the country, as well as severely compromising New Zealand's own "Clean and Green - 100% Pure" global brand. NZAEE think it is simply crazy that a government who supposedly believe "New Zealand's environment is at the core of our quality of life, our national identity, and our competitive advantage" [National Party 2008 Environment Policy] and who care about business achievement and a knowledge economy, would go ahead and cease funding to programmes and initiatives that would make New Zealand a global leader in sustainability and safeguard continued trade and tourism advantages derived from our natural environment.

NZAEE believe it is time to take action NZAEE Executive are asking that you step up and take action for Aotearoa New Zealand - our people, our environment, our future. PLEASE:

1. Distribute this message as soon as possible to anyone you know who believes in a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for our people and country - family, friends, business leaders, neighbours, community groups, schools - and encourage them to take action.

2. Write a letter or email ASAP urging the government to continue to support these programmes. Please use your own words and make your letter positive, focusing on the what our environment and a sustainable Aotearoa means to you, your family, your business, your organisation. Send copies to the following people:

A. The Prime Minister. RT. Hon John Key, (Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 888, Wellington 6160 john.key@parliament.govt.nz)

B. The Minister of Education, Hon. Anne Tolley (Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 888, Wellington 6160, anne.tolley@parliament.govt.nz)

C. The Minister for the Environment, Hon. Nick Smith (Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 888, Wellington 6160, nick.smith@parliament.govt.nz)

D. Your Local Member of Parliament (Freepost Parliament, Private Bag 18 888, Wellington 6160, firstname.surname@parliament.govt.nz)

E. The BlueGreens - the National Party's environmental team of MPs (environment@national.org.nz)

3. Write to:

a. Your local paper

b. The New Zealand Herald (short and to the point)

4. Go and visit your local MP to discuss your letter/email. We all know that talking with people one-on-one can be very effective at communicating your message.

Thank you for taking action. Trish Kirkland-Smith and Pam Crisp - NZAEE Co-Chairs 

Click on the PDF for details of the AGM and choice picture of Kakapo

Codfish Talk - Agm 2009.pdf

VIEWPOINT Erich Hoyt in the BBC Green Room

As the world marks the first UN Oceans Day, marine scientist Erich Hoyt says too little of the oceans has been set aside to protect marine life. In this week's Green Room, he explains why vast protected areas are needed to ensure the long term survival of marine mammals such as whales and dolphins.

If we can make homes for whales and dolphins, the ocean may just have a chance

Where do whales live? In the sea, of course; but the sea is ever changing.

We know that sperm whales search for squid in the dark canyons off the continental shelf.

We know that other whales and dolphins feed along massive seasonal upwellings fuelled by plankton explosions that attract vast schools of fish, which in turn attract seabirds, sharks and turtles, too.

We know that whales travel from feeding areas near the Arctic and Antarctic to warm equatorial regions where they breed and raise their calves.

So where precisely do whales live?

Well, this is the starting point for marine habitat-related research on whales and dolphins. We are still in the process of determining the fine points based on ocean depth, slope, temperature, currents and other factors; but we are learning.

And the more we learn, the more we realise how important it is to know where everything lives and how it functions in the dynamic environment of the sea; not just whales and dolphins but all marine life.

Habitats for a lifetime

Since the 1960s' save-the-whale movement started in California, we have made some progress reversing the momentum toward extinction that came from centuries of whaling.

Despite global campaigns, whale meat is still sold in a number of nations

There are still great threats to whales and dolphins as some countries continue to go whaling and dolphin hunting.

Hundreds of thousands of whales and dolphins are killed every year as bycatch and as a result of becoming tangled in fishing gear.

Also, overfishing has damaged ecosystems and food chains; the escalating noise in the sea from shipping, military sonar and hydrocarbon exploration has invaded their habitats.

On top of all this, there is the silent kill from chemical pollution and the effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, oil, gas and mining industries have their sights set on the vast ocean seabed.

If the lessons of intensification during the previous century show us anything, it is that we need to make a place in the sea for marine life.

We cannot save the whales unless we save their habitat.

Thinking big

International agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), have set a looming deadline of 2012 to create a network of worldwide marine protection areas (MPAs) in national waters and on the high seas.

US vows 'huge' marine protection

Most countries have agreed to these targets yet few are on track to reach them. In the UK, the parliaments in Westminster and Edinburgh are currently considering new marine bills that will determine the future extent of efforts to protect the sea around the British Isles.

Compared to land-based protected areas, which cover an estimated 12% of the world's continents and islands, protection of the sea stands at only 0.65%, with highly protected areas limited to just 0.08%.

Countries such as Australia, the US, and Kiribati are currently leading the world in marine protection, even if they too clearly have a long way to go in terms of full implementation.

Better understanding

Whales and dolphins have colonised many marine habitats, and have intricate relationships with many other species.

With so many species and habitats, how can we uncover the key places where whales live, the critical areas needing protection?

The past 35 years of research tell us that the same whales are returning to the same places to feed, mate, give birth, raise their calves and socialise.

Mothers have calves and then travel with them, introducing them to their favourite spots, corresponding to ideal depths, water temperatures, currents and other conditions for nursing, resting, finding prey, and so forth.

If marine mammals are turning up on beaches or dying in nets, then these events should be warning flags for the whole ecosystem

This is the concept of site fidelity. How do we know this? Individuals within the various species of whales and dolphins can be distinguished by nicks or other markings on their fins and tails, or by pigmentation differences revealed by sharp photographs.

Thus, the animals can be named and distinguished, and therefore identified when re-sighted. These re-sightings have helped us reveal site fidelity as well as abundance, crucial to telling us that one area is more important than another.

To protect these favourite places we must establish legally binding MPAs. We must create management bodies and plans, and ensure there are provisions for enforcement and monitoring.

MPAs must be much larger than land-based protected areas because of the fluid nature of the ocean and the mobile nature of its inhabitants; in some areas we may need flexible or moveable boundaries with seasonal components.

To help advance the creation of MPAs, we devised the idea of "homes for whales and dolphins".

The great bonus is that by focusing on "homes" or safe havens for whales, we can protect much more.

Whales and dolphins are umbrella species. The size of habitats needed for their protection, including consideration of MPA networks across ocean basins, will give assistance to many other species as well.

The goal, if not yet the practice, of most marine conservation revolves around the concept of ecosystem based management; so theoretically, entire ecosystems could be protected.

Whales and dolphins are sentinel species. If they are present and healthy, there is a good chance that the entire ecosystem is healthy.

Many cetaceans are among the apex predator species first to go from an area if things are not right, so if we can protect whales and dolphins, we know we are on the right road.

If marine mammals are turning up on beaches or dying in nets, then these events should be warning flags for the whole ecosystem.

The lines are being drawn in the sea. Now more than ever we need a bold vision - big, ocean-wide networks of highly-protected areas.

Fifty years from now, we will see the present day as the time when we had a chance; when we made tough choices and either elected to develop the sea, converting it into some vast watery industrial site, or decided to help significant portions of marine nature to stay wild and sustain our planet.

If we can make homes for whales and dolphins, the ocean may just have a chance.

Erich Hoyt is a research fellow and Critical Habitat/MPA Programme lead for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

He is also the author of Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (Earthscan 2005)

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website

Improving the Muddy Waters
of Doubtless Bay

Come and learn from the 15 years practical experience gained by Fred Lichtwark of
Whaingaroa (Raglan) Harbour Care.

Whaingaroa Harbour Care is an award winning, successful community project that is used as a national model of riparian management.

Since 1995, Whaingaroa Harbour Care has grown and planted more than 750,000 native trees along streams and harbour edges within the Whaingaroa catchment.

Proof of the success of the project is evident by the clearer waters and recovering shellfish and fish stocks.

Fred has agreed to meeting with farmers, landcare groups, local authorities – anyone with a passion about the environment and, in particular, integrated catchment and riparian management and share the Whaingaroa experience.

For more information:

Tel: 09 408 1086

www.ecocentre.co.nz/whatson

Or download:

Fred Lichtwark Doubtless Bay Presentation poster - Taipa 17 June 2009.pdf

Can You Help with donations of windshelter cloth, stakes, or compost for the streamside planting at Pukepoto? A group from Te Rarawa Marae has embarked on a huge project - Nga Wai O Tangonge - to protect and enhance the streams that flow into Tangonge Lake. They have about 500 native trees and shrubs to plant and could do with some help to ensure that these plants get off to the best possible start. Stakes (bamboo or hardwood) and shade or windcloth for added protection would be most appreciated.

If you can help, please contact Te Rarawa Marae on 09 4082734, and leave a message for Mary Anderson, chairman of the creek committee.

They plan to start planting this weekend so if you have any of the above that you could donate, or would like to come and help with this project, be in!

The Whare Wananga at Taipa Area School proved to be a fine venue in which to celebrate World Oceans Day on Monday. The weather was squally and the ocean best enjoyed from the spacious shelter of the Whare where a number of groups had come together to learn more about the beachside environment and its importance to the health of the oceans.

Taipa's Junior Beachcare group have already done much work along the dunes, planting and tending pingao and spinifex under the guidance of 'Nani Trish'. Many more students are keen to lend a hand, with more planting scheduled for later this month, starting from the 25th of June. The public are invited to come along and help - watch this space for more details next week!

Laura Shaft, from the Regional Council, braved the weather to bring DVDs about dune care and restoration, which illustrated similar work being accomplished at other beachs where dune erosion threatens both natural habitat and human amenity values.

Visual learning was the mode for the day - even if technical difficulties impeded the sound quality! Richard showed some amazing footage of marine animals....

...and the banners of winning photographs from the Environment Centre's recent photo competition, Far North Exposure, were enjoyed by the students and other visitors. 

Much of the preparatory weeding for this year's planting at Taipa Beach has been completed by a gang of Community Service workers and local volunteers

but with up to 1000 plants to go in, many return visits will be needed to ensure that the new sandbinding plants establish as strongly as these spinifex, which were planted last year.

We look forward to World Ocean's Day in another year's time when no doubt we will be celebrating further progress in the restoration of the indigenous flora and fauna of the Taipa beachfront - with special thanks to Taipa's Junior Beachcare Group!

You may have this message already from other sources but if not, this is a special event in Puketi Forest's history to which all are welcome. In case weather affects the plans you should contact Ian Wilson on 09 401 9056

Far North RR Puketi Forest Trust - Oho Mai Puketi

Return of Toutouwai (North Island Robins) to Puketi.

 At last we have final approval for the transfer of robins from Mangatutu to Puketi. The transfer and release have been set down for Sunday the 14th of June. Kingsley Thompson of Heliops will fly them directly by helicopter. The scheduled arrival at Puketi is 11:00 am.

A team of eight volunteers has been organised to travel to Mangatutu to catch the birds during the preceding three days. More of us will be required to meet the birds and carry them from the helicopter into the forest for release. There will be up to 30 birds in individual boxes to be carried. If you can help to do this, it will be greatly appreciated. In any case, everyone who is interested is most welcome to come and see the birds released. The robins will be released near the centre of the Puketi Forest Trust’s core pest control area, off the Waihoanga Gorge Kauri Walk, which is accessed via the signposted walkway across farmland from Puketi Road.

 Park on the roadside and follow the signposts. The helicopter will land in the paddock near the bridge at the start of the bush track. The welcoming party will gather before the last stile in the adjacent paddock until the pilot gives the all clear. There will be a brief welcoming ceremony, after which the birds will be carried half an hour walk into the bush and released. Dress for the weather and be prepared for some mud on the track. It would be wise to bring a drink and a snack.

 Mangatutu is southeast of Otorohanga in the South Waikato, on the north side of Pureora State Forest. After several years of pest control the local robin population there is thriving. Our aim is to capture 15 male and 15 female birds. Our team will be assisted by volunteers from the Ark in the Park project in the Waitakere Ranges west of Auckland, who are also catching robins for release in their area.

The robins will be attracted with meal worms and caught in clap traps, then weighed, measured, banded and held for the journey in individual pet boxes with supplies of food and water. Robins are fiercely territorial and fight if confined together. A clap trap is a light frame covered with mist netting, which is released pneumatically to fall when a bird ventures under it. Meal worms are a species of beetle larvae raised in flour – a delicacy for insectivorous birds.

The release site is on a low ridge between two densely forested stream valleys. These small moist valleys are expected to provide ideal habitat for the robins to disperse into. Once established, the robins should begin nesting early in the coming spring and should be seen by visitors on the Waihoanga Gorge Kauri Walk.

After release, we will need volunteers to help with regular monitoring of the robins. If you are interested in doing this, please get in touch. We will also be keen to receive any reports of robins sighted by people walking in the forest. It will help if you look up robins in advance and learn to distinguish them from the numerous resident tomtits, which are related. Of course, any small bird in that area with bands on its leg is likely to be one of the introduced robins. If the weather during the days prior to Sunday 14th is not suitable for catching the robins, the release will be postponed to Sunday the 20th of June. If this happens, you will be advised by email, a notice in the Bay Chronicle and on the trust’s website www.puketi.org.nz.

 Best regards, John Dawn