Conservation
Early days
As a boy growing up in Northland, Jim had experience with nature from an early age. The Lynch farm at Hukerenui had bush patches and many birds including a population of kiwis. This generated a lifelong interest in conservation and nature.http://www.visitzealandia.com/
In 1990 when living in Wellington, Jim, because of his professional planning skills, was asked by the local branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society (RF&BPS) now Forest and Bird (F&B) to prepare a plan for the recovery of Wellington City’s birdlife. Jim joined the Wellington Branch committee and later that year became its Vice-President in charge of planning. In 1992 he became President of the local branch for three years.
Natural Wellington
Immediately on joining the branch Jim conceived and initiated the “Natural Wellington” project. The brief provided by the branch was very vague and open so Jim set about looking at appropriate models and what could be practically achieved.
At that time most of the Wellington branch activities were focused on regional sites such as Kapiti and Soames Islands and little was being done in the city apart from some weed control. Local and regional councils were spending almost nothing on biodiversity work. In fact the notion of biodiversity was almost non-existent at that time.
The historical context and current situation was also quite grim and even depressing. Birdlife in the city was in a dire state with much local extinction. Birds which were still common in the Hutt Valley area such as bellbird and whitehead had become extinct in recent times in the city and other more robust birds such as pigeons and tui were very rare. Only fragmented and small bush remnants remained in the city and these were riddled with pests and weeds. A few brave and pioneering community groups laboured away on local planting projects with little support. Wellington City was a “biological cot-case”.
Jim designed a project that would follow a basic asset management model. This involved inventorying all of the natural assets of Wellington site by site, assessing their condition and proposing a simple management strategy for each of them. It would also contain an overall assessment and commentary of the state of Wellington’s biodiversity and included an action plan for the way forward.
Jim organised a working party of local botanists, ornithologists and ecologists. This working party studied maps to locate and advise on which sites should be included. A total of 36 priority sites within the city boundaries were identified and listed. Jim and others of the team visited every one of these sites to assess their extent, ownership, condition and the prospects for their improvement and future management. The results were then aggregated into a master map and table.
Jim, with publications help from Eve, then wrote and formatted the final plan. An overall theme for the plan was to “bring back the birds” to Wellington City and the concept of linkage of fragmented sites through biological “corridors” was given practical expression for probably the first time in New Zealand.
Click to see a pdf of the original “Natural Wellington” document.
The plan was then submitted to the Wellington City Council (WCC) for discussion and approval. It was received enthusiastically by the council which at the time was ready for a programme of this nature. It was adopted in principle and in time formed the basis of the conservation section of the WCC District Plan and the WCC Biodiversity Strategy.
“Natural Wellington” was also introduced to the Wellington Regional Council (WRC) who again were very supportive of the approach although they had very little jurisdiction in the WCC area. The WRC in time developed their own equivalent plan for the region which involved identifying “Key Native Ecosystems” (KNE) for the region. This was expressed in approximately 100 KNE sites which were targeted for management. Some of these sites were “Natural Wellington” priority sites within the city which became a focus for WRC funded pest control.
Jim presented the plan to numerous community groups as well as the councils and generated wide support for the concept as well as an increase in public understanding of biodiversity issues. Being able to relate biodiversity to places that people saw every day and could visit at any time was very novel at the time. Most people thought conservation meant remote islands and huge parks. Natural Wellington brought conservation right into city people’s lives and backyards. It broke new ground in biodiversity planning and introduced the concept of urban conservation.
The plan was also introduced to the 1991 RF&BPS conference at Kilbirnie. It was received with great interest and many branches then set out to do their own versions.
“Natural Wellington” has proven to be a resounding success. Following are the positive actions which stemmed directly from “Natural Wellington”:
The WCC in conjunction with WRC immediately used the priority sites in the plan to institute a programme of pest and weed control in the city, including Otari and other public parks.
The WRC instituted its own regional version with the KNE programme.
Land purchases were made by WCC to “fill in the gaps” in the bird corridors and secure strategic sites which were at risk from development.
The priority sites were protected by inclusion of many of them in the new District Plan as “conservation sites” with special protection status.
Many sites were targeted to remove exotic vegetation and over time replace it with native cover.
New public parks and reserves were created including Te Kopahau south coast reserve and Makara hill, and Karori Sanctuary/Zealandia was created in the old Karori Reservoir.
The WCC developed their Biodiversity Strategy which was an institutional version of “Natural Wellington”.
Plantings in the city area became increasingly native in character and community planting groups expanded and received better council and private support.
Direct public expenditure on biodiversity in both the city and the region increased dramatically. It is estimated that across the region as a whole biodiversity sending went from a few tens of thousands of dollars per annum to at least four million per annum within 15 years. Private funding of conservation dramatically increased.
The outcomes stemming from “Natural Wellington” have also been quite dramatic in the twenty five years since its development:
Birdlife around the city has increased exponentially both in variety and density. Wellington city now has birdlife far richer and more abundant than many mainland national parks and it rivals that found on many protected offshore islands. Pigeons are now common and tuis are in plague proportions. There is a kaka population in the city of 300 plus and growing (second only to Pureora forest on the mainland) and bellbird and whitehead are once again present. Many common birds are now increasingly abundant. The birds have been brought back to the city.
The bush and habitat around the city has been protected, connected through corridors, extended in size and greatly improved in condition. Pests and weeds are being increasingly effectively controlled. Steams are being cleaned up.
Biodiversity has now become an important city priority and a regular part of institutional activity.
Within the remarkably short time frame of twenty years Wellington has been transformed from a “biological cot-case” to a “biodiversity showcase”.
“Natural Wellington” is one of that very rare species – a plan that has been achieved almost in full. This reflects great credit on the WCC, WRC, community groups and citizens of Wellington. Jim may have conceived of and initiated “Natural Wellington” but it took the leaders, staff and people of the city to embrace it, carry it through and make it work.
Well done Wellington.
Jim’s work with “Natural Wellington” was recognised in 1997 with a WCC “Absolutely Positively Wellington” award. See awards below.
Karori Sanctuary/Zealandia
In 1992 Jim proposed that a native wildlife sanctuary be established in the Karori reservoir and after much effort the Karori Sanctuary Trust was formed in 1995. Now known as Zealandia, the sanctuary has been instrumental in achieving many of the ambitious goals articulated in “Natural Wellington”.
It was the first secure community sanctuary and is the only major eco-restoration project which is in a truly urban environment, being bounded on three sides by Wellington suburbs – Karori, Kelburn and Brooklyn. Karori sanctuary is a substantial size (250 ha – the same size as many DoC islands) and aims to restore a representative example of the local indigenous lowland forest and stream ecosystem with the full remaining assemblage of fauna and flora. This final goal is expected to take hundreds of years by which time the valley will have reached maturity. See the Zealandia website for full details of this world first project.
While undertaking “Natural Wellington” Jim identified the Karori reservoir as a key site. What caught the eye was that it was large (250 ha), centrally located in the city environs and it had reasonable habitat, two large lakes and wetland potential. Its most notable feature was that it was like the hub of a wheel with all the other bird corridors and many major sites connected or close to it. At the time the reservoir was still operated by the WRC as a water supply facility so discussions with WRC over the site centred mainly on how they could manage it better while still maintaining its water functions.
Then in 1992 the WRC gave notice that it would be closing the water facilities (apart from the pumping node) and would return the land to the WCC. The decision had been precipitated by the upper dam being declared an earthquake risk. WCC immediately began discussions about future uses for the site. Proposals included a public park, a camping ground and motorhome park.
Around this time Jim and Eve had visited Northland where a local DoC officer had been trying to keep rats out of a small private reserve with electric fencing. This caught Jim’s imagination and the idea of fencing to keep out predators stuck. Then later in the year Jim attended a Forest and Bird address where DoC Threatened Species Manager Alan Saunders described the Department’s “mainland island” programme where ecosystems were being protected by intensive bait station and trapping operations. The idea of a predator fenced sanctuary – a secure “mainland island” in the city – then took hold in Jim’s imagination.
Initial site options included Otari but when the Karori reservoir became available it was obvious that this would be the best choice. In June 1992 a meeting was held at the Denton Park entrance with a group of councillors where Jim floated the idea of predator fencing the site and turning it into a secure sanctuary. This notion was greeted with considerable scepticism! Jim then mentioned the idea to Alan Saunders in DoC who asked him to put the proposal down on paper and come and talk to his Head Office unit about it.
Jim wrote the original proposal over a weekend and Eve completed the publication to make it look professional.
The DoC people greeted the idea with enthusiasm and after some refinement of the proposal the scheme was presented to the WCC and WRC under the auspices of the Wellington Branch of F&B. With DoC staff providing support for its technical feasibility, Jim was able to secure foundation grants form WCC and WRC to undertake a feasibility study.
Jim chaired the feasibility study which was completed in 1993 and found that the proposal was practical and affordable. The study covered such issues as tenure, fencing, eradication, restoration, funding and its business viability. The findings of this study have stood the test of time.
Jim also chaired the steering committee which was formed after the study to undertake public consultation and form the trust. See the attached article “Sanctuary History” for a full and detailed account of the early days of founding the sanctuary. While the sanctuary was Jim’s idea and vision and he has worked with it ever since, he acknowledges and is deeply grateful to the many people who assisted him and supported his vision in those early days. This account notes all those people and their vital contribution. The founding and running of the sanctuary has been a wonderful team effort and this continues to be its strength.
When the Karori Sanctuary Trust was finally formed in June 1995 Jim became its Deputy Chairman. He served in this role for the maximum term of 12 years. Karori Sanctuary changed its name to Zealandia in 2009.
The Karori Sanctuary fence was constructed in 1999 and the first species (little spotted kiwi) released the following year. As at 2015 (the twenty year anniversary of the project) the following conservation achievements have been chalked up by the sanctuary:
The first “bird safe” urban sanctuary in New Zealand.
The first predator fenced protected natural area (private or public) in New Zealand.
The first successful multi-species predator fence design and construction.
The first successful multi-species (12) eradication of pests on the mainland.
The first successful translocations to the mainland of a number of highly threatened species: saddleback, little spotted kiwi, stitchbird, tuatara, Cook Strait giant weta, Maud Island Frog.
The first successful translocations to an urban environment of a number of nationally threatened or locally extinct species: robin, kaka, brown teal, kakariki, whitehead.
Major plantings and weed control to improve the ecosystem and re-establish locally rare plants.
The establishment of wetland habitats near the lakes and the control of pest fish.
A major increase in locally more common but vulnerable species especially tui but also including morepork, pigeon, fantail, grey warbler, white-eye, kingfisher, falcon and several species of shag. These have dispersed throughout the city to be the main force in the “Natural Wellington” goal of “bringing the birds back to Wellington”.
The sanctuary valley is now free of all mammal pests save mice and has probably the highest rate of diversity of species and relative abundance on the mainland, rivalling that found on predator-free offshore islands.
As a community enterprise Zealandia also has an impressive track record including:
A successful private/public partnership between the trust representing the local community and the WCC representing local government and landowner.
A business enterprise which is substantially self-funding.
An active volunteer base of over 500.
A subscribing membership representing over 11,000 people.
Visitors numbering over 130,000 per annum.
A major research programme in partnership with Victoria University specialising in restoration ecology and urban conservation.
An education programme which sees about 10,000 children visiting every year.
Inspiring a whole new national movement in the fenced community sanctuary.
Jim continues to take an active role in the sanctuary. He was appointed the Founder Vice-Patron in 2007 and is currently a member of the Sanctuary Guardians, a group charged by the stakeholders with monitoring the health and progress of the enterprise. Jim’s unique role in the sanctuary can be summarised as follows:
Conception of the original idea, including the new concepts of a community sanctuary enterprise and predator fencing
Articulation of its vision and form by way of the formal proposal.
Successfully advocating the proposal to stakeholders and the general public.
Raising initial funds to start the enterprise and hire the first staff.
Chairing the feasibility study group and designing the study format and process.
Designing and formulating the first business plan and the restoration strategy.
Serving as Deputy Chairman for the first twelve years when the major foundation work (Trust formation, fence construction, translocations, visitor and education programmes) was achieved.
Volunteering for planting, guiding, fence patrolling and other duties.
Serving as a sanctuary guardian since 2009 and chairing the guardians for three years from 2013.
For his work in founding the sanctuary, Jim was awarded a second “Absolutely Positively Wellington Award” in 2000. In the following year his contribution to conservation was recognised nationally with the award of a Queens Service Medal (QSM) for services to conservation.
Jim and Eve would also like to stress that the sanctuary achievements have been a team effort involving many supporters and staff over the years. They are very grateful to these people for giving their time and expertise to make the enterprise a success.
Large Conservation Zones
In 2012 Jim proposed the concept of “large conservation zones” as a solution to the problem of how to restore large areas of the mainland. The concept involves using all available conservation management technology in a synchronous programme to maximise the biodiversity gain at minimum cost.
The argument is that existing technologies (barriers, poison, traps and biological control) all have advantages and limitations but if they are deployed in concert over large areas then there is a synergistic effect which utilises the strengths of each method, minimises the weaknesses and leads to bigger gains and more efficiency.
Click to see the pdf Large conservation zones for a full description of the concept.
Work with the Department of Conservation
Jim and his company SDA Ltd began working for DoC on national systems in 1993 and continued to work with them until 2007. Jim’s work with DoC over the years has enabled him to acquire a wide appreciation of the issues and difficulties involved in conservation at a national level.
Following are the highlights of this work.
The Ecological Management Skills Training Programme. This highly successful staff training programme involved training field staff in the technical skills of managing pests, weeds, native fauna, native flora, and ecosystem and species monitoring and survey work. This programme was designed in conjunction with DoC field experts and scientists and several hundred field staff eventually completed it. Jim wrote all these modules and designing this programme gave him an unparalleled overview of conservation technology, practice and processes.
The Visitor Asset Management System (VAMS). SDA Ltd led the design of this landmark system for DoC after the Cave Creek disaster in 1995. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_Creek_disaster. The VAMS system involved inventory, inspection and repair of thousands of structures and facilities across the country.
The Natural heritage Management system (NHMS). NHMS was intended to be the natural equivalent of VAMS. From 2001 Jim led the design of this programme for several years and completed a detailed outline of the intended system and its operation. This undertaking gave Jim a unique overall perspective on the state and management of the nature of New Zealand as well as worldwide nature management. The programme included planning, inventory, data collection, data management and reporting.
The Introduction to Biodiversity Programme. This unique programme was designed as a PowerPoint based training programme for DoC staff. It replaced a previous programme run by Massey University which was proving to be too long and was not popular with participants. This programme collapsed a three day programme into a single day’s tuition and proved very successful in giving an overview of the subject to new recruits.
Conservation Awards
1997: “Absolutely Positively Wellington” civic award for “Natural Wellington”
2000: a second “Absolutely Positively Wellington” civic award for the Karori Sanctuary
2000: finalist in the “Wellingtonian of the Year” awards.
2000: Queens Service Medal (QSM) for services to conservation.