Increasing wildlife habitat areas in a farming landscape
About the project
Coastal habitat at Pūkorokoro-Miranda has been reduced and degraded, negatively impacting on shorebirds and estuarine and freshwater wildlife. Living Water is supporting a project to trial effective ways of identifying, acquiring, and restoring suitable land to increase estuarine and freshwater wildlife habitat, without adversely impacting the drainage or productivity of adjoining farms. An area around the Miranda and Pūkorokoro stream mouth was identified as the most viable site for habitat expansion.
Dion Patterson
BENEFITS
- Improved and expanded coastal habitats
- Increased bird and wildlife
PROGRESS
- 60 hectares of farmland at the Miranda and Pūkorokoro stream mouth became available for sale in 2014
- Living Water and local partners worked with farmer to develop purchase agreement
- Funding from DOC’s Land Acquisition Fund and a private partner was obtained to purchase the land
- Sale and purchase agreement completed November 2018
- 19.6 hectares of the 60 hectares purchased as reserve land; remaining land added to the neighbouring dairy farm
- The Living Water team and local partners worked together to establish a community-led Trust for the ongoing management of the reserve and to develop restoration plan for the newly acquired reserve
As Fonterra farmers, we were pretty passionate about restoring the waterways and making sure that the land was left in a better state for the next generation. As farmers, you’re kaitiaki, and it was about that nurturing and looking after the land and also tying in with the iwi philosophy and the kaupapa Māori philosophy of the people and the land are one.
