Bluff foreshore gets a makeover
German ivy is a difficult weed to control. Its vines can extend rapidly, running for several metres in darkness before breaking through to the light and leafing. Once established, it smothers native vegetation and opens areas up to more aggressive weed species.
Local residents re-plant the Bluff foreshore area at a volunteer planting day in September. (PHOTO: Yvonne Pickford)
In a series of volunteer planting events that will continue until at least 2022, the stretch of coast along Marine Parade is being rejuvenated in several stages. So far, over 820 eco-sourced plants have gone into the ground and been fitted with biodegradable plant guards.
“We hope the work will encourage penguins to come back, which we know used to visit here, and would normally nest and thrive in those coastal habitats,” says Estelle.
“Places where the forest meets the sea are very rare in Southland, so everything we can do to support the recovery of these coastal sites for seabirds that need this habitat is a win-win, and the Runanga support that strongly.”
Becky says the project so far has had tremendously positive feedback.
“It’s great to see how the project has been picked up and embraced by the community. What started out as weed control work ended up as this massive project with benefits for the environment and people.”
Dumping garden waste spreads weeds
Did you know that three-quarters of New Zealand’s weeds are garden escapees?
- Many pest plants in Southland have come as a result of dumped garden waste at reserves, beaches and rivers.
- A dump pile might be 99% grass clippings, but it only takes a couple of seeds or tiny pieces of a weed within the clippings, and once it’s established it can be time consuming and expensive to rid.
- The right thing to do is to take your garden waste to an approved landfill.
To find out more about weeds and how to control them effectively, visit the Southland Pest Hub: www.pesthub.es.govt.nz
You can read the full Envirosouth magazine as a PDF online here.
