9:00 pm
on 24 September 2018
Charlie
Dreaver, Reporter
Wellington
has seen a boom in native bird numbers and other endemic wildlife in recent years
but wildlife advocates say with great fauna comes great responsibility.
Zealandia's
conservation and research manager, Dr Danielle Shanahan, said the success of
the sanctuary is now spreading beyond the fence.
"In
Zealandia we've seen an eight-fold increase in kākā, but also beyond the fence
we're seeing about double the kākā than five years ago, so we're seeing really
rapid increases, and also how far they're distributed across the landscape as
well," she said.
Dr
Shanahan said some types of birds were declining in the sanctuary because they're
doing so well in the rest of Wellington.
But, she
said Wellingtonians can still do their bit to further help their survival and
growth in the capital.
"For
example, putting some native trees in our backyards, that provides really good
food for our birds and also makes a rich environment for our
invertebrates," she said.
She said
there also needs to be ongoing commitment from local government, to protect the
environment from degradation.
Wellingtonians
have been taking that message on board.
Hannah
Mackintosh lives in Newtown and she's set up a trap in the back corner of her
garden.
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