Biodiversity gains across Dunedin City

There has been plenty of mahi happening this Dunedin winter to improve biodiversity across the city.

City Sanctuary have recently reached a major milestone with 3000 fewer possums in Dunedin City! This is fantastic news for native wildlife residing in our urban environment.

Fiona, a City Sanctuary backyard trapper, noted to a member of the team “I don’t particularly like killing possums but what I think about when I see a dead possum are the manu – the birds – and the difference it’s going to make for them.”

The real measure of our success is not about what we are removing, but what is coming back. However, milestones like this display the collective effort of many volunteers and backyard trappers working together to protect nature.

The City Sanctuary volunteer who caught possum number 3001.

Meanwhile, in Kaikorai Valley, the team celebrated the official public launch of a new community group wanting to take action to protect our local flora and fauna. Aroha Kaikorai Valley want to bring together local members of the community to help improve the environment by controlling predators, improving water quality, removing pest plants, and replacing them with native and significant species.

City Sanctuary has been supporting the group with their extensive predator control knowledge, and look forward to working with them to run some trapping workshops in the future.

Want to find out more about Aroha Kaikorai Valley or get involved? Check out their website!

The City Sanctuary team at the Aroha Kaikorai Valley Launch

Over in Dalmore, the Wild Dalmore Reserve community group has been controlling weeds and planting native trees such as tōtara, kōwhai, lemonwood, tree fuchsia and rimu to replenish the bush. City Sanctuary trap lines in the area have removed 34 possums and over 40 rats so far. This effort will be helped greatly by a fresh new team of volunteers who have come on board to check these traps.

Pīwakawaka/faintail, riroriro/grey warbler and kererū are often seen or heard while walking the trap lines. With the combined effort of the Wild Dalmore Reserve community group controlling the weeds and City Sanctuary controlling the pests, we can’t wait to see more birds moving into the area.

Down in Brighton, the Brighton Trapping Project are targeting possums and rodents across council reserves in the area. Many coastal birds call Brighton home including kororā/little blue penguins and the elusive kōtuku/white heron. It is wonderful to see community groups with a passion for protecting local native species getting stuck into trapping in areas we are not currently working in.

If you live near Brighton and want to get involved in checking traps, get in touch with the team!

There are plenty of other conservation focused community groups across Dunedin which are keen for some new volunteers. Want to do your bit for our native wildlife? Find a group.