The vision of Kinnoull Ecological Reserve Association is to provide a living environment within a developing ecological reserve and to create an ecological corridor that could eventually extend from the south coast to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and beyond.
This plan identifies animal and plant pests that are currently resident at Kinnoull and indicate the strategies we will adopt to remove or minimize their environmental effects in the future.
Effective pest control on Kinnoull is dependent on minimal reinfestation from neighbouring properties, so in the long term district wide initiatives sponsored by local authorities or national organizations is the best approach.
The land owners agree to contribute annually to a Pest Management Plan, which will include:
Animal Pests currently seen on Kinnoull include the following:
Apart from Areas 2A, 2B and 2C in Lot 2, Lot 1 and Lot 20 DP 414390, Lots 13, 14, 17 and 18 and Area H in Lot 19 DP 366070 where domestic animals may be kept provided they are securely fenced, domestic animals or formerly domestic animals; horses, cattle, sheep and deer will be removed from the property by their rightful owners and fencing replaced or repaired to keep these animals from returning to Kinnoull. Any stock that cannot be removed will be shot on the property.
There is presently a Wellington City Council (WCC) initiative to remove all the goats from Te Kopahou to Makara Beach . We will assist this initiative when it takes place. Up till then we will continue to shoot the goats on the property on a regular basis taking special interest in the ecological reserve areas on the coast.
Possums are currently controlled by a commercial fur trapper coming twice a year and using traps and cyanide poison to keep possum numbers to low levels. A problem exists when we get continual reinfestation from neighbouring properties that do no possum control. A WCC initiative similar to the goat strategy involving all the neighbouring properties is required for effective long term control. In the meantime we will continue to run a six-monthly program of possum control and record the results.
Wild pigs are currently kept to low numbers by pig hunters with dogs. Wild pigs tend to move around depending on the hunting pressure so they potentially will always be a problem. Pig hunters have a habit of reintroducing pigs to areas where they have been culled out so that they continue to have local hunting, we will remain vigilant and cull pigs whenever they appear on the property.
With the intention to allow Kinnoull to revert to a native forest and provide a safe environment for native birdlife, these species have the potential to limit the native bird population. Control of these species will be by trapping and poisoning initially and then by monitored set traps once the pest population has been reduced to low numbers. These traps could be monitored by interested residents or an environmental group might like to adopt the pest control of mustelids and cats as one of their local conservation projects.
In the long term a program of trapping and poisoning
will be initiated similar to the cat and mustelid program described above.
On Kinnoull we have two main plant pests at present:
Gorse
infestation is widespread throughout Kinnoull.
However it makes an excellent nurse crop for regenerating native species
and has the added advantage of being a nitrogen fixing plant.
Where applicable, the gorse plants will be left untouched to allow native
regeneration.
Darwin's Barberry is widespread from Karori to
South Makara
and is just getting established on Kinnoull.
The plant is spread by birds and possums.
Darwin's Barberry is shade tolerant and has the potential to kill native species and
even gorse. While it is still
practical, isolated bushes should be cut and the stumps painted with Vigilant.
Regular checks are to be made to see if any other invasive weeds come onto Kinnoull. Roading machinery that is required for road maintenance should be thoroughly cleaned if they have been in an area with a weed problem.
All pest control operations on Kinnoull will be recorded in the Pest Control Register. If available the date, pest numbers and location will be noted. This Register will be open for inspection by KERA members and Wellington City Council.
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