Voice for Nature Newsletter of the CENTRAL OTAGO LAKES BRANCH of FOREST & BIRD

The FP needs to be developed with the input from various environmental consultants working alongside the lessee. It cannot be just a farming focused document with input only from farming consultants, as I stated above. Every FP should be peer reviewed by a panel of experienced and knowledgeable experts (paid for by the crown as part of their management responsibility).

Our understanding and recognition of values also changes over time. The FP needs to be responsive and agile, a live document - it needs to keep up. The FP needs to be particularly conscious of values held by external stakeholders and viewers, given the scale of properties and their high country landscape which is generally in the Outstanding category. FPs cannot be as internally focused as a smaller down country farm might be. Leaseholders have a big responsibility to look after a wide range of values. This must be accepted by the lessee and also by LINZ as the administrator.

It is important that the FP recognises the strategic direction of the operative and/or proposed district and regional plans and aligns the identification and protection of values with them. This will make any RC process or CPL consent process so much easier.

The Farm Plan should also be about restoration and enhancement of values especially indigenous biodiversity

It should hold a detailed programme for primary survey to identify values, identify the threats, identify the restoration opportunities, set out protection activities such as fencing and pest control, and on-going monitoring. This process will generate a closer connection with the land and its biota, and can also be the basis of the likes of eco tourism activities. The FP will also be a valuable way for a lessee to express and demonstrate their pathways to a quality product if they are seeking to engage with a high paying niche market with high expectations of nurturing the natural environment and having a light footprint on the land and water.

FP need to have an audit/monitoring component - "how are we doing? are we achieving the goals? do we need to do anything different? is there something better we can achieve?" This component will be necessary if net gains in biodiversity and neutrality in carbon emissions, for example, need to be demonstrated.

It is possible in future that markets will also seek product sources demonstrating high performance in the social dimension, such as engaging with the local community for example allowing hunting access, recreational access, field days to areas of special interest, community planting projects, etc. The FP can carry that component too.

In my view because pastoral leases are large areas of crown land with high public values, there is an onus on lessees to do more than just farming the land. It is the Crowns responsibility to ensure this. The FP is an excellent mechanism to make this happen.”

In the next newsletter, Anne will provide information about the remaining pastoral leases in the Central Otago Lakes area, and update on progress around the regulatory framework LINZ is putting in place.

Anne Steven is a committee member of our local branch of Forest & Bird. You can contact Anne at a.steven@xtra.co.nz.

North Young – Foggy Creek

Trip report from Jo Tilson

Two Southern Lakes Sanctuary staff members, Jo Tilson and Sarah Forder, and two volunteers, Tim Sikma and Neil Sloan, flew into the upper north branch of the Young Valley on April 3rd, 2023, to conduct a brief ‘biodiversity assessment’ of the area.

The survey was particularly interested in rock wren/tuke Zenicus gilviventris, whio/blue duck Hymenolaimus malacorhynchos and mohua/yellowhead Mohoua ochrocephala. We also wanted to get a feel for pest numbers and the practicality of doing future work.

Some highlights of the trip

Four pairs of rock wren were found within a couple of hours and generally the habitat on this face looked great for rock wren with tussock faces interspersed with alpine scrub and boulders

Day 1: Foggy Creek - Four pairs of rock wren were found within a couple of hours on the south face of Foggy and Misty peaks. Generally, the habitat on this face looked great for rock wren with tussock faces interspersed with alpine scrub and boulders. Although there was little sign of mammal pests save a few hares, the makaka Carmichaelia australis was heavily browsed everywhere. A rock bivvy was also discovered in the head basin that would comfortably sleep 8 in most weather.

The forest was impressive with huge silver beech Nothofagus menziesii but it was weirdly quiet (although this was hopefully just a seasonal thing). At dusk dusk 2 whio arrived right at the confluence and seemed to stay around for a few hours and most of the night.

Day 1: Head of North Young - Only one rock wren was heard. An awesome rock bivvy was located at E1285693 N5106864 near the riverbed that would comfortably sleep 3 and has walls built up around it for shelter.

Suddenly many birds came in - at least six mohua and four kakariki - as well as most of the other natives you expect to find in this type of forest...

Day 2: North Young - We were pleasantly surprised to find some really lovely forest and we heard some nice bird song including mohua. After playing recordings to attract birds, at least 6 mohua and 4 kakariki appeared, as well as most of the other natives you expect to find in the forest the exception being brown creeper who were notably absent. My perception of the forest was that it was a healthy beech forest that shows little sign of deer or other large mammal browsers. At 1100 m we again came across rock wren, although only 1 pair were detected.

Day 2: Foggy Forest - Not much was heard in the way of birdlife although it looked like a decent patch of beech. The boulder field at top of scrub wasn’t great wren habitat.

The peaks were stunning, the rivers gorgeous and there was a healthy and diverse subalpine scrub

Conclusion - These two valleys were a pleasure to spend a short amount of time in. The peaks were stunning, the rivers gorgeous and there was a healthy and diverse subalpine scrub band. Although there are obviously lagomorphs (hares) and ungulates (deer) present, they don’t seem to be in high numbers. Despite the obvious browsing of Carmichaelia and Ranunculus there was little faecal sign and what ground trails we did come across were not well used. An investigation into mammalian pests both small and large would be good to do between November and April to determine what the current indices are. If mammalian pests are in naturally low numbers, they may be quite easy to keep low with some effort as there are many natural barriers that would slow their approach into the head valleys.

The forest has impressive stands of ancient beech which could provide ideal habitat for many species including mohua and long-tailed bats

Although there were not many forest birds detected in the brief amount of time we spent there, the forest has impressive stands of ancient beech which could provide ideal habitat for many species including mohua and long-tailed bats. The fact that when calls were played the birds were so responsive and seemed to be in such quantity and diversity indicates good habitat and further investigation should be done into this over spring and summer.

Foggy Creek - Great habitat for rock wren along south face of Misty and Foggy peaks. Could be worth setting up some transect monitoring here in future. Also has good camping spots in head of Valley and a rock bivvy. Access to walk from the forks to the head of valley would take about 3 hours with a decent stretch of scrub bashing en route.

North Branch Young - Good whio habitat above gorge and at confluence with Foggy Creek. Some good rock wren habitat but not as much as in Foggy Creek. . A really good rock bivvy mid-way up the valley and some good forest habitat too.

Recommendations - I think this valley is special enough to warrant a couple of weeks per year for four people to do the work below.

Pest monitoring:

• Establish tracking tunnel lines in both valleys and monitor in spring and summer, include camera monitoring also
• Maybe a few chew card lines to look at possum abundance (some sign was seen but not heaps)
• Investigate what is already known about mammalian predators based on DoC’s data
• Investigate how feasible it would be to do hare control

Birds:

• Establish rock wren transects in Foggy basin and face
• Establish mohua transects in forest
• Put out some acoustic recorders to record forest birds in day and search for bats at night
• At least 2 walk through whio surveys (dog assisted if possible) to establish how many pairs are present and whether any breeding occurs

This was a preliminary survey to assess biodiversity values in the area and was made possible by funding from the Tupiki Trust.

Jo Tilson is a committee member of our local branch of Forest & Bird and the Biodiversity Coordinator at the Southern Lakes Sanctuary. You can contact Jo at jo@southernlakessanctuary.org.nz

Nature's Voice

In each newsletter we reprint an article from our monthly 'Nature's Voice' column in the Wanaka Sun for members who may have missed the original. The following article, "You, me and mass extinction" is by Bruce Jefferies.

You, me and mass extinction

The history of life on earth has been punctuated by six so-called mass extinction events, periods when there was a widespread and rapid decrease in Earth’s biodiversity. The penultimate event is probably the most famous, the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event that heralded the end of the dinosaurs - and three quarters of all other plant and animal species on earth at the time - and ultimately the rise of mammals. This event is primarily blamed on the most dramatic existential threat of them all, a massive meteorite that 66 million years ago hit in what is now Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

The sixth extinction in the history of earth event is the one happening outside your window right now!

Having said all that, the sixth extinction event, the so-called Holocene extinction, deserves to be even better known and more concerning, because it is the one happening outside your window right now

But surely, we can’t be living in the middle of a mass extinction event given the worldwide expansion of conservation work that we have witnessed over the last few decades, both within Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally?

It is true that since the first legally protected area was established in 1776 in Trinidad and Tobago there have been more than 100,000 protected sites established worldwide covering about 12% of the Earth’s land sur¬face. (Indigenous peoples have been protecting biodiversity in various forms for millennia before national parks were created)

The problem has been our rapacious consumption in the other 88% of the Earth’s surface, and that we can’t leave these protected areas alone exampled by poaching of elephants in African parks and the drive to mine the conservation estate in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As amazing as our protected areas are, unfortunately they have not coincided with an equally inspiring increase in biodiversity saved. In fact, we are witnessing species extinction at unprecedented rates with species losses estimated to be between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the “background” or expected natural extinction rate hence, by definition, a mass extinction event.

What is poorly understood in Aotearoa New Zealand is that we are just as bad as the rest of the world at saving species from extinction, in fact we are amongst the worst

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we have already lost 50% of the bird species that were here when humans first arrived, 4,000 of our native species are at risk of extinction, two-thirds of our rivers are un-swimmable, and less than 1% of our marine environment is protected despite being under threat. Ouch.

Of course, extinctions are a natural process – there has been after all five before this current one - and many folk will argue this as a justification for their lack of concern. However, unlike the mass extinction events of geological history, the current extinction event is one for which a single species is almost wholly responsible: humans.

Our extinction event is unlike all the others in geological history in being entirely preventable by the actions of a single species: us humans

But unlike poor old T. rex who had no chance of stopping a meteorite, our extinction event is unlike all the others in geological history in being entirely preventable by the actions of a single species: us humans, again.

At least at a technical level we now understanding the issues and we know what we have to do.

Every 2 years a comprehensive study of trends in global biodiversity and the health of the planet is released by WWF called the Living Planet Report. The report is based on a pioneering data modelling initiative entitled ‘Bending the Curve’ - essentially bending upwards the downward curve of biodiversity loss - which shows significant potential of approaches that will contribute to a doable reversal of species loss.

So there is hope.

The Bending the Curve approach is developed around pragmatic realities and lists the changes necessary to maintain existing biodiversity and reverse the downward trend. It shows that three sets of actions - sustainable production, sustainable consumption and increased conservation efforts - can dramatically reduce and ultimate reverse loss of species by as early as 2050.

You have a role to play…support farmers focussing on regenerative agriculture… follow the Wanaka Wastebusters mission of reduce, reuse and recycle… get behind the Southern Lakes Sanctuary initiative that aims to rid our region of predators

And you have a role to play.

Locally we have excellent examples of initiatives that you can support to ‘bend the curve’.

Support farmers focussing on regenerative agriculture, and other food producers that have sustainability front and central to their approach.

Follow the Wanaka Wastebusters mission of reduce, reuse and recycle.

Get behind the Southern Lakes Sanctuary, a consortium of local community groups that aims to rid our region of predators while creating jobs and supporting the local economy.

Although T. rex had quite a large brain as dinosaurs go, they had a tiny cerebrum - the part of the brain that we use to think - compared to you and me. Whereas T. rex had no chance of stopping their mass extinction event, we have no excuse about not stopping ours.

Bruce Jefferies is a former long-term committee member of Forest & Bird. You can contact Bruce at brucejefferies@xtra.co.nz

Shake a stick at...

'Shake a stick at...' - short summaries of branch-related news

A pair of grebes have been nesting at Lake Hāwea

In late January this adult grebe was spotted in an unusual place- the irrigation race alongside the Hāwea River. The race takes water from Lake Hāwea and some small fish get through the intake so there is definitely food for this bird. However it’s the first time a grebe’s been seen in this artificial river environment. From several observations it looks normal and healthy, if a bit smaller than the nearby grebes in the lake. As grebes can’t walk on land it must have flown to this area, which isn’t far from the lake but across a busy road. We seldom see grebes flying although they make short flights during fights over territory.

A pair of grebes has been nesting at Lake Hāwea on a floating platform near the dam. This is their third season with two or three clutches of eggs during each season. So far this pair has hatched 17 chicks so they’re really doing their bit for the species. It’s possible the grebe on the irrigation race is one of their offspring from a previous year. From Jane Forsyth (sandymount@actrix.co.nz), a long-term member of Forest & Bird.

Emissions reductions for work in Makarora

The Southern Lakes Sanctuary now leases two BYD Atto EV’s, resplendent in appropriate livery – a rock wren/piwauwau and a yellowhead/mohua. The EVs are based at Queenstown and Wānaka, and are being used by the Southern Lakes Sanctuary teams for their fieldwork at Makarora, the Matukituki, and the Head of the Lake, and for occasional visits over the hill. These EVS mean two diesel Hilux utes are off the road (except for a few trips where big loads of traps need to be carried around).

Based on Makarora figures since the end of August 2022, the Hilux utes average 2900km a month. Assuming average fuel consumption, conservative driving (<90 kph) and emissions of ca. 230 g CO2/km, that’s around 16 tonnes of CO2 a year into the sky. In terms of dollars, using the same figures and assumptions, the utes would cost SLS $18,190 in fuel and running costs per year; the EVs $1750. Can we afford to operate EVs? Can we and the planet afford not to?

'Unprecedented bird discovery on Hāwea lakeshore stroll'

(From a story by Lauren Pattemore, The Crux Feb 03, 2023)

Petrina Duncan – Southern Lakes Sanctuary staff member, and committee member of Forest & Bird - while out walking beside Lake Hāwea, spotted a grey-backed storm petrel on the ground.

The finding was the most northerly location the species has been found. As explained in The Crux article, ‘The grey-back storm petrel is one of Aotearoa's smallest seabirds, and until recently they were thought to live south of the mainland – on the Chatham, Antipodes, Campbell, and Auckland Islands… The bird will join New Zealand’s national bird collection, which Ms Duncan was able to tour, whilst she was in the capital on bird-delivery duty.’

Petrina Duncan is committee member of our local branch of Forest & Bird and Communications & Upper Clutha Community Coordinator for the Southern Lakes Sanctuary. Contact Petrina at petrina.duncan@southernlakessanctuary.org.nz

Young Valley trapping

Forest & Bird run a trapping program in the Young Valley. Surveys in 2022 by committee member Jo Tilson concluded the site has one of the best remaining populations of Mohua in the region so Forest & Bird and the Southern Lakes Sanctuary are stepping up efforts at this site.

This is the fourth summer that Forest & Bird have been clearing the Young Valley traps previously operated by DOC. For this operation we have another group of rugged volunteers who undertake the multi-day operation, combining a lovely walk in the mountains with valuable work removing pests from one of the best remaining populations of mohua in the Otago region. A big effort by some volunteers in spring added another 30 traps to the North Young Valley line and more recently our hardworking Southern Lakes Sanctuary team put another 20 traps out in the South Young upper basin, specifically aimed at taking out stoats to help the surviving rock wren population. In the next newsletter, we will bring the results from this summer’s efforts. Many of our trappers report seeing and hearing mohua in the Young Valley, more so than in past years, suggesting a steady improvement in numbers. Soon to be released Southern Lakes Sanctuary monitoring results will hopefully confirm these reports.

Andrew Penniket is chair of the committee of our local branch of Forest & Bird. If you are keen to assist on trapping in the Young Valley, contact Andrew at apenniket@yahoo.com

Butterfields Wetlands Hāwea Conservation Reserve

Maintenance sessions through until October will be on Saturday mornings 10:30 to 12:30. These are self governed sessions but the idea is that people turn up at the same time to work together! If coming from further away, please carpool if not biking.

To get there, park at the Hāwea River swing bridge, walk across and head east for about 180m and you will come to a fenced enclosure. Follow your nose and the intermittent trail of plantings from this small area (which has been done already) around the wetland and lagoon curving around to the south for around 500m until you catch the walking trail where it crosses the lagoon. Alternatively take the walking trail south until you get to the lagoon and start from there.

Anne Steven is a committee member of our local branch of Forest & Bird. If you are keen to assist on the project, please contact Anne at a.steven@xtra.co.nz or ph 021 293 9207 or Andrew Penniket 022 342 187.

Pennycook Podocarp Restoration

Forest & Bird are assisting with the Pennycook Podocarp Restoration project on the south side of Makarora township. This long term project was initiated by Heather Pennycook to rehabilitate her QEII covenanted land and we are helping her regenerate forest over a large area of broom and bracken with plantings of podocarps that will eventually shade the broom and replace it.

The Podocarps have been growing steadily over spring and summer, sheltered in broom and bracken. Some kahikatea have doubled in size in a year. A major release and more planting is planned for early winter.

If you are keen to assist on the Pennycook Podocarp Restoration project, contact Andrew Penniket at apenniket@yahoo.com. Andrew is Chair of the committee of our local branch of Forest & Bird.

Offsetting carbon by planting at Grandview

In 2019 Central Otago Lakes Branch initiated a native forest project in Grandview Creek, on land owned by Lake Hāwea Station. The aims of the project are: to sequester carbon to help neutralise the ca. 8 tonnes of CO2 emitted during our travel for trapping; to enhance local biodiversity; and to try and change the mindset that Earth's climate crisis is someone else's problem. Once the forest is capable of absorbing our annual emissions, the balance will go toward Lake Hāwea Station's carbon neutrality efforts. Yes, it will take a long time; yes, it's a lot of work; no, it's not the whole answer; and no, "they" won't do it for us.

We have to report some losses of previously planted trees over the very dry summer, in spite of watering by a dedicated but very small team of volunteers. We are in the process of raising funds for a much improved watering system involving a 5000l storage tank. This in turn required a new gate to be installed on the fence (see photo) for access. There is ongoing debate over pines within the planting area: are they weeds, or are they actively sequestering carbon and helping meet our carbon neutrailty goal?