Waituna Biodiversity Options and Opportunities The attached draft biodiversity report was produced by an external consultant to aid the people and agencies in thinking about what actions may help improve the state of biodiversity across the catchment. It is a resource and not a prescription. The views in the report are not necessarily those held by the partner organisations or the Whakamana te Waituna trust itself. The report builds on previous work. The Whakamana te Waituna programme partners wish to provide this report to the community, appropriate agencies and stakeholders for their comments, feedback and input into developing a practical and achievable series of actions. To do this we will engage with the community, through a series of workshops (dates to be confirmed), focusing specifically on what might be done to help improve biodiversity. This commentary is provided as a supplement to the report to summarise, and provide input from the partner organisations, on the actions that might work. Ideas: Biodiversity Management area 1: Waituna lagoon and adjacent wetland habitats, Pg. 36-44. 1. Fencing to exclude stock from wetlands and lagoon shore: it is thought that currently there is already sufficient fencing to exclude stock from the Waituna Lagoon and adjacent wetlands. However, this could be investigated, and any deficiencies rectified if necessary. 2. Prevention of regime shift: These recommendations are based on the Strategy and Action Plan for Waituna. Partner organisations believe this is best dealt with under the contaminant intervention and landward buffer work streams. 3. Pest plant and animal control: Eradication of feral ungulates is already prioritised by the Department of Conservation’s Arawai Kakariki wetland restoration program and will continue. Further recommendations aim to implement possum control and extend mustelid control around the northern margin of Waituna lagoon. An aim of eradication is recommended for pest plant species including grey willow, Spanish heath and gorse. Currently the Department of Conservation strategically targets gorse, manages Spanish heath and grey willow is controlled for eradication on public conservation land. 4. Threatened plant monitoring: Recommendations include identifying, mapping and undertaking baseline monitoring of threatened plant species populations. 5. Migratory fish: The report recommends taking the needs of migratory fish populations into lagoon openings. This should be considered in future lagoon opening consent processes, and information could be sought on the impact of lagoon openings on migratory fish populations. Ideas: Biodiversity Management area 2: Dryland forest remnants indigenous shrublands and wetlands. Pg. 44-49 1. Fencing wetland remnants: while most areas would fall on private land, other areas such as the Waituna Scenic Reserve may benefit from upgrading of fencing 1 2. Pest control in areas with high lizard values: recommendations include working with a consultant to identify these areas. 3. Pest animal control in all remaining sites: report recommends control of possum, mustelid and rats in a co-ordinated manner 4. Pest plant control: recommendations include management of Chilean flame creeper, however, there is no fully effective herbicide method. Education could be provided to landowners to identify and manage. 5. Fencing forest remnants: identify, map, explore mechanisms/funding for fencing 6. Create ecological linkages: encouragement of retirement of marginal land by land owners, combined with investigations into potential funding for return to indigenous vegetation 7. Lizard monitoring: recommendations include monitoring lizards to provide a baseline population estimate 8. Legal protection of privately owned remnants: this idea is to engage with landowners to encourage legal protection of privately owned remnants. It is stressed that the Whakamana te Waituna programme will not, and cannot, enforce legal protection of private land. However, advice and information could be provided for those private landowners who wish to do so. Idea: Biodiversity Management area 3: All riparian margins, watercourses and drains, Pg. 49-61 1. Fencing to exclude domestic stock from riparian margins: This idea seeks fencing of all waterways including a 15m setback on main stream channels and a 5m set back on tributaries. Such setbacks, at this stage maybe unfeasible for many landowners, but encouragement and information should be provided on the environmental benefits of wider riparian buffers. The Whakamana te Waituna programme could look at providing assistance and support to landowners who wish to maintain riparian buffers at widths over and above regulation. 2. Restoration planting of waterways: funding mechanisms could be explored, and potential support could be available for those wanting to undertake maintenance of riparian margins over and above regulation 3. Pest plant and animal control: investigate pest control along riparian zones including ungulates, mustelids, rodents, feral cats, possums 4. Restore ecological functions of streams: potential to restore instream features, install artificial instream habitat structures, removal of hard engineering approaches, overhanging vegetation etc 5. Improve instream habitat management: Reshaping of banks, instream structures, improving variety of substrate, and allowing some instream vegetation to remain – while maintaining drainage capability 6. Restore hydrological function of stream and wetlands: Restoration of hydrological connectivity such as reconnection of meanders and back waters, where practical and installation of sediment traps 7. Reduce the impacts of drains on catchment hydrology: including working with landowners to explore alternative management regimes – such as flow control structures and retention ponds 8. Secure populations of Gollum Galaxias in Carrans Creek: recommendations include surveys to identify where populations of this unique, declining native fish are located, and exploring options for management 2 Ideas: Biodiversity Management area 4: Private agricultural areas (not already included in areas 1- 3), Pg. 61-65 1. Fencing wetlands: aim to support the fence all remaining wetlands by identifying, mapping and exploring funding options 2. Restoring buffer adjacent to Waituna Lagoon: this is a recommendation provided by the consultant which is consistent with the Strategy and Action Plan for Waituna (Action 4) 3. Control of pest animal species: including possums, mustelids and rats 4. Control of pest plants: explore mechanisms and funding for pest plant removal 5. Legal protection of privately owned sites: while this idea seeks to legally protect all indigenous fragments it is noted that the Whakamana te Waituna programme will not, and cannot, enforce legal protection of private land. However, advice and information could be provided for those private landowners who wish to do so, using connections with other agencies such as QE2 Trust. Prioritisation between biodiversity management areas (Pg. 66-68): The following sites are identified as the highest priority sites within the biodiversity management areas: • Waituna Lagoon • Waituna Creek • Wetlands in biodiversity management area 2 and 4 • Craws Creek The following sites were identified as moderate priority: • Carrans Creek • Moffat Creek • Smaller more isolated lowland forest fragments in biodiversity management areas 2 and 4 Next steps It is important to note that the above summarised ideas are just that. The number of recommendations clearly far exceed what we could feasibly carry out quickly. So, as a community we need to decide what should be carried out under the biodiversity work stream. To do this we would like to engage in a discussion with the community and key stakeholders. We want to know what you think of the recommendations of the report, if you agree with how actions have been prioritised, what recommendations are most important to you, and if you have any other suggestions. If you would like to attend the workshop to help inform the biodiversity workstream, or if you do not wish to attend the workshop but have feedback, please get in touch. Please email [email protected] to register for the first workshop, or to supply your written comments. Workshop dates are to be confirmed. 3 DRAFT WHAKAMANA TE WAITUNA BIODIVERSITY OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES R4701 DRAFT WHAKAMANA TE WAITUNA BIODIVERSITY OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Wire rush rushland amongst mānuka shrubland, near Waituna Lagoon Road. Contract Report No. 4701 May 2019 Project Team: Kelvin Lloyd - Project management Nick Goldwater - Report author Carey Knox - Report author Helen McCaughan - Report author Steve Rate - Report author Fiona Wilcox - Report author Prepared for: Whakamana te Waituna Charitable Trust DUNEDIN OFFICE: 764 CUMBERLAND STREET, DUNEDIN 9016 Ph 03-477-2096, 03-477-2095 HEAD OFFICE: 99 SALA STREET, P.O. BOX 7137, TE NGAE, ROTORUA Ph 07-343-9017; Fax 07-343-9018, email [email protected], www.wildlands.co.nz DRAFT DRAFT CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. PROJECT OBJECTIVE 3 3. PROJECT SCOPE 3 4. METHODS 3 5. CULTURAL CONTEXT 4 6. ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT 5 6.1 Waituna Ecological District 5 6.2 Waterways 5 6.3 Protected Natural Areas 8 6.4 Unprotected natural areas 9 6.5 Threatened land environments 9 6.6 Vegetation and habitats 11 6.7 Overview 11 6.8 Wetland vegetation 11 6.9 Terrestrial vegetation 13 6.10 Other vegetation/habitat types 13 6.11 Naturally uncommon ecosystem types 16 7. FLORA 17 7.1 Indigenous species 17 8. FAUNA 19 8.1