Naturally ours to protect

Native forest, waterways, birdlife, skinks and geckos…..

Forests with links to past ice ages, rare fern species, bird breeding grounds of international importance and the largest blocks of native forest in the Auckland urban area.

This is the beauty and natural history that surrounds and weaves through the North Shore City. These are the wonders that attract people to live here, that allow us to enjoy nature on our doorsteps without living in the country.

These are the gifts of nature that are now under threat and that we can all play a part in protecting.

The first North Shore Ecological Study

The North Shore Ecological Study is our city’s first complete survey of our natural environment values. The study brings together survey data on our native forest, waterways, birdlife, skinks, and geckos. The results make fascinating reading. Our forests linkages to past ice ages, nationally threatened fern species, internationally important bird breeding grounds and the largest blocks of native forest within the Auckland urban area.

The study has identified 89 significant ecological areas across the city and a further 28 areas that provide a linkage function or ‘buffer’ function to these significant ecological areas. The significant areas have been identified as they best represent our city’s unique character and diversity of biodiversity.

The study has described the various parts of each significant ecological area as well as identifying why it is significant and what threats exist to its particular values. Examples of these include Smiths Bush in Takapuna that is our city’s largest and most intact example of kahikatea forest, a forest that once covered most of the fertile lowlands of Northcote and the Wairau valley.

The sand dunes and the plants that grow within them at the northern end of Long Bay are another example of a link to our city’s past with sand dunes once covering the foreshore of our east coast beaches before the arrival of people to these shores.

It is the unique values identified by the study and the threats posed by weeds in particular that have been the main findings. How we address the findings of this study will make a big contribution to whether we can maintain our city’s natural environment values.

So now is the opportunity to consider our current overall approach to managing ecological values. How can we improve? What new initiatives could be taken and what approach or package of approaches is going to be the most effective and efficient way that we can retain our city’s special natural environment values?

North Shore City Ecological Survey Report

Reports

Strategic Management Committee report, April 2005 PDF (99KB)
Strategic Management Committee resolution, April 2005 PDF (13KB)
North Shore City Survey Sites PDF (761KB)

Website links

Internal

Caring for our trees and bush
Parks Volunteers Page
Stream Assessment Reports

External

Restoring Nature on the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) website
Kaipatiki Project website
Waicare website

For further information

• For information on volunteering in North Shore City's Parks: Angela Levet, Citywide Parks Officer (09) 486 8600
• For information on the Backyard Biodiversity Project in North Shore City: Kaipatiki Project - (09) 482 1172
• For information on Waicare and streamside planting in North Shore City: Sarah Yarrow, Environmental Education Co-ordinator (09) 486 8600
• For general information: Phill Reid, Senior Environmental Policy Advisor, or Rachael Johnson, Environmental Policy Advisor (09) 486 8600.
• For information on the surveying and drafting of the report: Shona Myers or Samantha Hill (Auckland Regional Council) (09) 366 2000.

You will need Acrobat Reader to view documents on this page which can be downloaded free from www.adobe.com .