Editorial: Action applauded for critical native species

The NZ dotterel is making a stellar comeback on a CHB beach. Photo Supplied

Opinion

A few months back near Red Bridge I spied a ute with dozens of predator traps strapped to its trailer.

Any ardent supporter of our native fauna would have been buoyed to see such an impressive arsenal and well-resourced offensive launched in our own backyard.

The war to protect what's endemic and precious is one we should all be proud to wage.

That's why the story about a coastal wader breeding up a storm in Central Hawke's Bay is heartening.

The numbers in a burgeoning colony of a New Zealand dotterel, tuturiwhatu, in a 1km area in Ouepoto Reserve at Aramoana Beach have swelled remarkably.

The area was initially taped off by Department of Conservation staff between September and April every year to protect the species after a bach owner observed several of the birds nesting on the beach 10 years ago.

Rarer than the critically endangered kokako, its numbers have now increased appreciably.

The news comes just a month after the Commissioner for the Environment's findings that four out of every five native bird is heading for extinction.

DoC Hawke's Bay biodiversity coastal marine compliance ranger Rod Hansen said the success of taping off the dotterel's habitat from people for seven months of the year "proved how bad human impact was for birds".

And that's the paradox. Not only are we the cause of the species' fall - our intervention is also the cause of its rise. Sitting back isn't an option.

In the case, and in others to come, we should applaud and encourage the small victories.