Graham Pearson says he hopes if the community becomes more aware of Castlecliff Coast Care's work, people will stop stealing plants. Photo / Bevan Conley
Graham Pearson says he hopes if the community becomes more aware of Castlecliff Coast Care's work, people will stop stealing plants. Photo / Bevan Conley
A group of Castlecliff conservationists are frustrated at plants being stolen from a protected area of the sand dunes – with Whanganui District Council saying plant thefts are on the rise.
Castlecliff Coast Care co-ordinator Graham Pearson said he received a message from one of his volunteers who witnessed a woman stealing a pīngao (dune grass) plant at Castlecliff Beach.
Pearson said he could understand that some members of the public might mistake the native plants for ones that had grown in the wild but after being approached by a volunteer, the woman refused to give up the plant.
Over the past three winters, Castlecliff Coast Care has planted 28,000 plants in the dunes to prevent events such as dune blowouts – when a hole forms in the dune and causes large erosion or damage.
The planting prevents damage to the beach and surrounding infrastructure.
It also improves habitat and biodiversity by replacing invasive weed species on the rear dunes with native plants.
A council spokesman said the council had not been informed of this incident but was aware of a growing number of plant thefts in other council-managed areas.
“It’s extremely disappointing to hear of thefts as the planting work is done mainly by volunteers for the benefit of the entire community.”
The spokesman said the theft of plants at the Castlecliff Coastal Reserve was a police matter and should be reported with identifying information such as licence plates.
Dune stabilisation planting led by Castlecliff Coast Care aims to slow sand movement near the Morgan St beach entrance. Photo / Bevan Conley
Pearson said people were supposed to avoid walking, riding horses or driving quad bikes through dune planting areas.
“Once you damage the plants and they die, then the wind can get in and create these big moving sand dunes and blowouts.”
Fifty to 100 volunteers helped with the planting and it was a wider community-based project, he said.
“People are disrespecting everyone else if they take things away or drive through the dunes.
“We’re just asking people to be respectful.”
He said there was further planting that had to be done alongside the raised car park at the North Mole and he was concerned more plants could be stolen.
“We just want the community to be aware of the work that we’re doing.”
Castlecliff Coast Care collects seeds from the pīngao and sends them to Whakatāne where they are grown into plants, then bought back by the group and replanted in the dunes.
Whanganui District Council and Horizons Regional Council are helping to fund the project.
