Emma
Dangerfield 12:44, Jan 10 2019
The
plight of the banded dotterel
ALISA
HOWARD
It's as
vulnerable as the great spotted kiwi, but gets nowhere near the same attention.
The
Kaikōura District Council has been criticised for establishing a freedom
camping area at a significant breeding site for an endangered bird species.
Ailsa
Howard, who has been monitoring the banded dotterel (pohowhera) at
South Bay for four years, said the council's "lack of
action" on freedom camping was putting the nationally vulnerable birds at
risk.
The
council set up a working group last year after the number of freedom campers on Kiwa Rd, near popular surf spot Mangamaunu,
increased dramatically. The council has encouraged people not to camp
there this summer so the area can recover from the environmental
degradation caused by heavy use last summer.
The
entrance sign alerts campers to the dotterels, but many are still unaware,
researcher Ailsa Howard says.
The
working group considered 50 alternative sites, but ultimately recommended the
South Bay site – along with a smaller campsite on Scarborough St and
a third south of Kekerengu – all of which were advertised on the
council's website as "responsible freedom camping" spots available
from December.
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