Protecting our wetlands and critically endangered wildlife

From Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel Community Trust.

Wetlands are a precious part of our ecosystem, acting like the kidneys of the earth, cleaning the water that flows into them. They trap sediment and soils, filter out contaminants; can reduce flooding and protect coastal land from storm surge; and return nitrogen to the atmosphere. In New Zealand they support the greatest concentration of wildlife out of any other habitat and yet 90% of our wetlands have been cleared.

Many of the community conservation groups in the Hauraki Coromandel are working to protect remaining wetlands and the endangered species that inhabit them, such as the Matuku-Hūrepo or Australasian Bittern, pictured below.

This is a strikingly beautiful and secretive wetland bird that has perfected invisibility. Its colour and striations exactly mimic the close, vertical world of reeds and raupō, especially when it lifts its dagger beak right up, narrows itself to angular reed-thinness and sways gently with the wind-rustling stems. The male’s distinctive mating call is a sonorous, haunting boom that reverberates through its wetland habitat - the call of the wild.

Once flocking in groups 100 strong, Matuku-Hūrepo/Bittern are now facing extinction due to habitat loss, predation, starvation and collisions. The national population is estimated to have plummeted to less than 800 birds, making them ‘nationally critical’, the same threat status as Kākāpō.

In 2023, Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel Community Trust (PFHCCT) established a regionwide survey of the Matuku-Hūrepo at 29 sites across the region. Males were heard booming at 19 of the 29 sites and females were observed at three sites. Experts were invited to a critical workshop the Trust held in February this year, with the result that an action group and protection plan has been developed.

Jude Hooson, CEO of Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel Community Trust, said “It’s great to see the collaboration and energy from agency partners, iwi and volunteers working together to try and save this beautiful wetland bird whether that’s controlling predators (like rats, mustelids and feral cats), through to removing weeds like willows, to improving the quality and flow of the waterways in our region and awareness campaigns to help reduce collisions.  We’ve seen a great response to participate in our second survey in October 2024 and will be expanding the sites we monitor.”

We need your help to save this beautiful wetland bird.  If you’re keen to donate, volunteer, get involved.

You can read more about Predator Free Hauraki Coromandel at www.pfhc.nz and donate at momentumwaikato.nz/fundfornaturehaurakicoromandel.