Maungatautari Restoration Project

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Karuwai the kiwi at August 2005 health check.
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Karuwai the kiwi at August 2005 health check.

The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest ecological restoration project in New Zealand, involving the total removal of all pest mammals. It is located just south of Lake Karapiro in the Waikato region of the North Island and comprises 33.63 square kilometres of forested volcanic peak surrounded by pastoral farmland, embraced on two sides by the Waikato River. The Maungatautari Restoration Project is comprised of Māori land and private land, together with public-owned Scenic Reserve administered by Waipa District Council. It is a community project under the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust.

Maungatautari Morning Scene.
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Maungatautari Morning Scene.

Contents

[edit] The Vision

The Trust's vision is to remove, forever, introduced mammalian pests and predators from Maungatautari, and restore to the forest a healthy diversity of endangered flora and fauna not seen on the mountain in our lifetime.

Once the pest eradication is complete and the species reintroductions started, this ecological island will be the largest such restoration project and wildlife sanctuary open to the public in New Zealand.

[edit] The plan

The Maungatautari Restoration Plan involves encircling the 34 square kilometres of bush with a 50 km pest-proof fence and bringing back the suite of species that once lived there such as the kiwi, kokako, kakariki, tuatara, kaka, and many others.

The first stage involved creating two enclosures, at the north and south of Maungatautari, totalling 1.1 square kilometres. These enclosures enable the Trust to demonstrate that the fence is feasible and any physical constraints have practical solutions. Testing of pest removal methods was carried out and now that the enclosures are predator-free they are used as holding areas for native species while the main fence is being built, at the same time allowing the public a taste of what is to come.

The second stage is the complete pest-proof fencing of the entire 34 square kilometres (which also takes advantage of some of the Enclosure's fencing). This was completed in September 2006 and pest elimination has begun.

It is expected that certain introduced "pest" birds, such as the Indian myna and Australian magpie, will not need to be controlled; as long-term native species (especially endemics) should flourish in the restored habitat to which they are well adapted, and should be able to more than hold their own.

Introduced wasps are known to cause ecological damage in NZ, and can be a nuisance to visitors. They may therefore be controlled in certain sites on the mountain, but control over large areas is still problematic.

[edit] The site

Map of Maungatautari.The two enclosures are ringed in blue.
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Map of Maungatautari.
The two enclosures are ringed in blue.

Maungatautari was chosen as the site because:

  • The mountain is almost completely bush-clad and the forest canopy is still largely intact, despite the attentions of introduced pests and some past timber milling.
  • The forest is sufficiently large and diverse to sustain healthy natural populations of many New Zealand native bird, reptile, bat, fish and invertebrate species.
  • The mountain is surrounded by farmland making fence construction a practical option.
  • Local people hold a strong sense of ownership of, and responsibility for, the mountain and its ecology and a commitment to seeing it restored.
  • Its central location, close to State Highway 1 and Hamilton City, makes it accessible to all New Zealanders.

Maungatautari lies majestic on the landscape in the middle of the Waikato, flanked by the towns of Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Putaruru. Lake Karapiro can be seen from the northern entrance to the mountain, while from Pukeatua, the southern peak, the Kaimai Ranges, Pirongia, Pureora Forest Park and Mount Karioi are visible on a clear day.

[edit] The pest-proof fence

The Xcluder pest-proof fence.
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The Xcluder pest-proof fence.

The conventional way to control pests in New Zealand is with aerial poison drops, poison bait stations, traps, and shooting - and still the pests come back. To achieve even partial control of pests requires blanket poisoning or intensive trapping at least every 3-5 years. For some native species to survive, pest numbers have to be reduced to virtually zero. The Department of Conservation knows from experience that even if there are just two stoats in 1 square kilometre of forest, no kiwi chicks will survive.

The ideal solution is a pest-proof fence and the success of this is central to the whole project. After many years of refinement the Xcluder fence was chosen and is now proof against the smallest mouse and the most active climbing animal trying to sneak into the Northern and Southern Enclosures.

The difficult problem of stream crossings has been solved, taking into account wildly fluctuating water levels, debris flows, and the need to allow fish to migrate upstream. An electronic surveillance system warns if a watergate does not close properly after heavy rain.

[edit] Milestones

  • 31 August 2006 - Pest proof fence completed.
  • July 2006 - Work starts on viewing tower next to a northern rata grove in the Southern Enclosure.
  • June 2006 - A pair of critically endangered takahē introduced to a protected area on the Mountain.
  • June 2006 - Government grants $5.5 million to complete the pest-proof fence and finance most of the pest eradication operation.
  • April 2006 - A stand of about 100 silver beech, a native tree of southern New Zealand, discovered.
  • February 2006 - Main fence past half way mark. David Bellamy gave Maungatautari project the 'thumbs up'.
  • January 2006 - Tautari Wetland, a 3 hectare adjoining valley gifted to the Trust, pest-proof fenced and ready for planting.
  • December 2005 - First kiwi call heard on Maungatautari in about 100 years.
  • July 2005 - Kiwi (including Karuwai) returned to Maungatautari, after an estimated 100 year absence.
  • December 2004 - Hochstetter’s frog rediscovered on Maungatautari.
  • November 2004 - Maungatautari Open Day to celebrate completion of the pest-proof fence around the Southern Enclosure.
  • September 2004 - Pest eradication of the two enclosures began.
  • July 2004 - Construction started on main fence.
  • November 2003 - Construction of the pest-proof fence around the two enclosures started.

[edit] Surprises

Silver beech discovered at Maungatautari in April 2006.
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Silver beech discovered at Maungatautari in April 2006.

With the extra attention concentrated in the Maungatautari Restoration Project unexpected discoveries are being made:

  • In April 2006, a stand of about 100 silver beech, a native tree of southern New Zealand and previously thought by botanists to be absent from Maungatautari, was found. The find was later confirmed by Dr Bruce Burns, Landcare Research, following a site visit where he was joined by Dr Bruce Clarkson, University of Waikato, Phil Brown and Maungatautari Trust staff.

"It seems most likely that silver beech hasn’t just arrived on the mountain, it has hung on there since the last ice age, which ended about 10,000 years ago – we have just never seen it before" said Dr Burns.

"The poor dispersal ability of beech is well documented so it is likely that this stand is a relic from the last ice age, when silver beech was a common tree on the Waikato lowlands. Two of the largest trees in the stand are around 86 cm in diameter suggesting they are probably several centuries old, given the extreme slow growth rate expected in this particular location."

"The most exciting thing, however, about finding silver beech is that they bring a host of fungi and insects associated with them that won’t occur anywhere else on the mountain." Maungatautari Trust chief executive, Jim Mylchreest, said that he "was excited about the prospect of other unexpected species, perhaps even locally extinct species, being found."

Hochstetters frog discovered on Maungatautari December 2004.
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Hochstetters frog discovered on Maungatautari December 2004.
  • In December 2004 the first new find of the endangered Hochstetters frog in a decade has turned up eleven surviving in a fragile, rocky area on Maungatautari. The head of the Department of Conservation’s Frog Recovery Programme Dr Avi Holzapfel said that to "find any new population of Hochstetter’s was very exciting, and to find Hochstetter’s at Maungatautari, where they will eventually be protected, is just a dream come true."

Chief executive of the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, Jim Mylchreest, said that the "Hochstetter’s frogs had been on the list of possible re-introductions but it is wonderful that we have our own resident population which has survived on the mountain."

[edit] Species at Maungatautari

[edit] Mammals

[edit] Birds

[edit] Amphibians

[edit] Reptiles

[edit] Fish

[edit] Invertebrates

(Survey yet to be done)

[edit] External links

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