ARTICLE : Connecting key forest and wildlife areas
of Hutt City with natural corridors

 Connecting key forest and wildlife areas of Hutt City with natural corridors

We in Lower Hutt Forest and Bird are promoting natural corridors that connect the key forest and wildlife areas in our patch.   The areas are the upper Wainuiomata catchment forest, upper Orongorongo forest, Turere Stream catchment, East Harbour Regional Park’s lakes and forest blocks, Speedys Stream catchment and Korokoro Stream catchment.   These key natural areas are generally superb forests or wetlands, most have had pests such as possums reduced by Greater Wellington Regional Council’s poisoning programme, and three either have had threatened species released, or releases are planned.

To allow indigenous fauna and flora to migrate from one area to another, corridors are needed.   A corridor would traverse the Wainuiomata Valley connecting Orongorongo areas to East Harbour.   Another corridor would include the Eastern Hutt hills and traverse the Hutt Valley to connect to areas in Belmont Regional Park.   Crossing both valleys appears to be the most difficult, but we believe that we have solutions.

The corridors are necessary because the land surrounding many of these areas is being more intensively used, and the bordering land is, or will become, much more hostile to native flora and fauna.   Throughout the Wellington region, natural areas that are not protected are being converted to pine plantations, lifestyle blocks, new suburbs, or cleared for farming.   If this trend continues, we will lose the opportunity to connect significant wildlife areas.   Valuable natural areas will become isolated.   Our key concern is “Will these areas survive in the longer term, with all of their existing native flora and fauna, if they are isolated though the clearing of those connecting forests and bush remnants?”

The opportunity to connect these areas without significant use of private land still exists in the Wellington region, but it may not exist for much longer.   This is why we believe that now is the time to take decisive action.   We have produced a plan of what we want as natural corridors, and a slide presentation to promote the concept.   We hope to talk to Hutt City Council soon about the details, and how it can be achieved.   The three slide presentations run so far have been well received by their audiences.

The other branches of Forest and Bird plan to undertake similar exercises to determine an overall plan for their patches, and interconnections between them.

We are keen to present our slide show, and to incorporate ideas from any interested groups.   Contact our representative, Russell Bell, on 380 6130.

Lower Hutt Branch, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society