Environmental Action in Biodiversity and Biosecurity

Restoration of the Jericho Valley - where Te Kōawa Tūroa o Takitimu lies, includes the creation of a network of tracks across the site, monitoring of birdlife, pest species and native regeneration. Pig and deer control through trapping and hunting is ongoing.

The Trust holds regular community days, residential courses and wānanga at Te Kōawa. In the early days, the Trust was instrumental in setting up and undertaking the Elver (baby eel/tuna) Trap and Transfer programme and migrant tuna programme, to allow tuna to migrate in the Waiau, which they cannot do naturally due to the Manapōuri hydro power scheme. This programme is now managed by Meridian Energy on behalf of the Trust and Ngāi Tahu.

Through a new venison burger launch, Burger Fuel donated money for a conservation project. The foundation decided to use it to double their trap numbers in the Nitz Valley

and invest in possum control. During the 2022/23 season they witnessed large hatches of baby whio, which was not unusual, but what was exciting was the survival rate of the ducklings. At the end of the season a Department of Conservation whio survey found 36 in the valley, which was a brilliant result and the largest count in all the surveyed Fiordland valleys.

The foundation and other community volunteers check traps eight times a year, amounting to 4,400 trap checks. As they are operating their predator trapping in some of the most remote places on earth, they are always looking for innovation and getting more involved with trap technology. Their innovation centres on the smart use of technology, setting traps in the right place and with the right bait, and doing that little extra to catch a pest.

For many years the islands have been a sanctuary for taonga species, thanks to the efforts of a group of dedicated Ngāi Tahu whānau, who have been working to safeguard the islands from the predators that threaten the rarest and most endangered wildlife. Protecting existing species and reintroducing taonga species, such as tīeke (saddleback) and toutouwai (Stewart Island robin) have been priorities. They are leading the way with several more species translocations on the horizon too.

For the administrating body, it’s about whanaungatanga, building relationships, bringing the tītī community together to work towards common goals, capacity building, and education, all woven together. Above all, it’s about the islands. “Ko mātou kā motu, ko kā motu ko mātou. We are the islands, and the islands are us.” Their work is inspirational and an example to others of what is possible.

Often people work on projects in isolation, so SERN offers a chance for people to network, share knowledge and support each other on this journey. This is done through field days, with a regular spring field trip undertaken focusing on different areas of Southland, along with autumn field days, which are Invercargill focused. As well as this, SERN also runs weekend events, one on Rakiura Stewart Island, one in Te Anau with a Fiordland focus, and wetland focused events.

The other important part of SERN is their website – www.sern.org.nz, which has a project register along with events, news items and important contact details for anyone wanting to get involved in ecological restoration in Southland. The website has details about many projects, field trips and educational gatherings, which the group has organised to promote their objectives of bringing like- minded people together on the environmental front.