Ark in the Park (conservation project)
Ark in the Park is an open sanctuary and conservation project in the Waitākere Ranges near Auckland.[1] It is a partnership between Forest & Bird and Auckland Council that is supported by Te Kawerau ā Maki[1] that aims to remove non-native pest mammals and predators and re-introduce species that were made extinct in the area.[2]
History
[edit]The project was started in 2002 by a small group of volunteers,[3] who set traps for pest species within the Ark in the Park sanctuary area.[4] A pilot programme covering 200 hectares was launched in 2003 which saw bait lines spaced 100m apart through the forest, with bait stations every 50m.[5] By 2019, the project covered 2,270 hectares.[6]
Species reintroduction
[edit]A number of native bird species have been reintroduced to the park, beginning with whitehead (pōpokatea) and North Island robin (toutouwai). In 2007, hihi (stitchbird) were released, however the translocation was not successful.[7][8] In 2009, kokako were reintroduced to the area; having last been seen in the ranges in the 1950s.[8][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ark in the Park". Forest & Bird. 27 March 2019.
- ^ "Ark in the Park". Nature Space.
- ^ "History of Ark in the Park". Nature Space. 27 March 2019.
- ^ a b Dench, Alison; Parore, Lee-Anne (2014). Walking the Waitakere Ranges: 45 Coastal and Bush Walks (4th ed.). Auckland: New Holland Publishers. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-86966-426-8. OCLC 894037427. OL 30857674M. Wikidata Q123383221.
- ^ "Ark Timeline 2" (PDF). Ark in the Park.
- ^ "The Success of Bufferzones" (PDF). Forest & Bird Waitakere Branch Newsletter.
- ^ "Ark in the Park facilitating eDNA research". www.biologicalheritage.nz. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ a b Grant, Simon (2009). "Call of the Wild". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. pp. 318–321. ISBN 9781869790080.
36°53′S 174°32′E / 36.89°S 174.53°E
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