A White-Capped Albatross on Maukahuka/ Auckland Island. Photo: Supplied/ Jake Osborne
New Zealand aims to raise $137 million to eradicate pests and restore ecosystems on three of our largest islands, as part of a new partnership with overseas conservation charities.
The Department of Conservation and partners are joining Island-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC) in a bid to rewild Rakiura-Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands and the subantarctic Auckland Island.
The projects were estimated to cost $202 million total, but the government had already invested $54 million and more than $11 million had been donated.
DOC director-general Penny Nelson said joining the challenge would help New Zealand promote groundbreaking island conservation on the world stage.
Penny Nelson Photo: Supplied / Lance Lawson
"Partnering with the IOCC connects us with international donors who want to restore nature. It will boost government investment so we can scale up the most complex and challenging island conservation projects New Zealand has ever attempted," Nelson said.
"For millions of years, New Zealand's native species evolved separately from the rest of the world. They're unique, they're only found here, and once they're gone from here, they're gone from everywhere.
A Harlequin Gecko on Rakiura/ Stewart Island. Photo: Supplied/ Ty Conner and Mike Douglass
"These islands are precious remnants of a prehistoric world. Protecting and restoring them will make sure they become safe havens for iconic native species once more.
Scale of project daunting
It would not be an easy task.
Each island is up to 15 times larger than our biggest pest-free island, Campbell Island, and is remote, with difficult terrain, wild weather and different pest species.
The local communities on Rakiura and the Chatham Islands would be expected to play an important part in the restoration, which would mark a first for New Zealand predator free projects of this scale.
Years of work has already gone into planning to remove introduced predators, but the new funding was expected to unlock new methods to eradicate predators and restore the ecosystem.
Detector Gadget, a rodent dog, checks bags for rodents, to protect Rakiura. Photo: Supplied/ Sandy King
Event marks New Zealand's participation
An event at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff on Friday, hosted by Te Rūnaka o Awarua, will celebrate New Zealand's participation.
Rūnaka spokesperson, and co-chair of Te Puka Rakiura Trust, Dean Whaanga said two of the three islands are located within the Kāi Tahu takiwā (territory) where they are kaitiaki (guardians).
Dean Whaanga Photo: Supplied/ Te Runaka O Awarua
"Our success in restoring the small offshore islands surrounding Rakiura has laid the pathway for the mahi that needs to be done on Rakiura and Maukahuka," he said.
Megaherbs (Bulbinella Anisoteme) on Enderby Island, Maukahuka. Photo: Supplied/ Rachael Sagar
The international challenge aims to restore at least 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems around the world by 2030.
It is led by international conservation groups Island Conservation and Re:wild, as well as the University of California San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Island Conservation chief executive Penny Becker said restoring these islands could make a tangible difference for biodiversity and oceans: "Investing in these projects is an investment in the health and future of our planet," she said.
Funds raised would be managed by the New Zealand Nature Fund, and a major fundraising campaign is planned.
Last June, DOC confirmed plans to cut the number of staff based on the Chatham Islands.
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