What are our objectives?
We will focus on the following key objectives over the next 5-year period:
- Protection of existing populations of native fauna and flora
- Improve and enhance native ecosystems
- Monitoring and research of existing native colonies
- Education and promotion of the Mauao area and it’s native species
Key Strategic Actions
- Baseline survey of existing flora and fauna to obtain clearer picture of populations and to use as success measures in the future
- Assist in the eradication/ control of pests to desirable level
- Revegetation with a focus of erosion prevention, breeding requirements of native species and soil conservation
- Education via existing and new channels to create future knowledge of how the area is looked after
- Monitoring and research using existing knowledge and methods to reach desired outcomes
About the RENA
October 2011 was like any other month for the first five days. After that, life changed for Bay of Plenty Wildlife researchers when the cargo ship MV Rena grounded on Astrolabe reef twenty kilometres offshore.
Thick oil covered the coast, and Massey University activated their Oiled Wildlife Response Unit, of which several future trustees were members. Whilst the majority of the flying birds which came in to contact with the oil were victims, around 373 Little Penguins did survive and, with the efforts of hundreds of individuals calculated at over 1000 hours each, were returned to the cleaned up coastline a few months later.
This was the first evidence that rehabilitation worked for oiled Little Penguins, and has now proven to the world that spillers are certainly bound to pay for rehabilitating oiled penguins.
This event gave rise to the idea that a Trust could be formed for the care and protection of all wildlife in this part of the Bay of Plenty. Western Bay Wildlife Trust has members that are expert at seabirds, shorebirds, bush birds, marine life and pest control.
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