Taranaki Regional Council wants the public’s help to ‘back the bittern’ and has launched a new interactive map to make it easier to report sightings of the elusive wetland bird.
Following the Council’s support of the matuku-hūrepo / Australasian bittern for Forest & Bird’s election-style competition Bird of the Year, conservation efforts continue with the call for people around the region to record when they see the nationally threatened bird.
The council’s ‘Have Your Say’ website features a map of Taranaki onto which people can drop a marker where they have seen the matuku-hūrepo, noting the time and place and uploading any photos.
The bird has a current conservation status of nationally critical and council’s senior ecologist Halema Jamieson said there are fewer than 1000 matuku-hūrepo left in the whole country and maybe fewer than 30 in Taranaki, so it’s essential data is gathered to support conservation efforts.
“The public’s help is absolutely vital as the matuku-hūrepo is counting on us for its survival. Knowing how many are left and where they are living is the first step to trying to improve their chances of survival.”