Help fight weeds in Wellington for World Environment Day
Date: 27 May 2008
Wellingtonians are encouraged to swap a weed for a native plant at a weed swap hosted by DOC's Poneke Area on 7 June, 11am to 3pm in Civic Square, to celebrate World Environment Day.
DOC wants to help reduce weeds in Wellington while encouraging people to leave the car at home by giving an extra free native plant to anyone with a bike or bus or train ticket. Biodegradable bags will be provided for the plants, (or people can bring their own) and weeds will be disposed of at a green waste site.
The event, being supported by Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council, attracted a grant from the Ministry for the Environment in the lead up to the United Nation's World Environment Day on 5 June, being hosted by New Zealand for the first time since its establishment in 1972. This year's theme is Kick the Carbon Habit with a focus on moving towards a low carbon economy and lifestyle. It's an opportunity to bring the world's communities together to find new ways to protect our environment and form stronger networks to support and build on the work that is already underway.
An infestation of the weeds nasturtium
and German ivy in the Wellington
suburb of Khandallah
This is the fourth annual weed swap held in Wellington City. Thousands of native plants have been given out in exchange for weeds such as veldt grass, turnip weed, wandering willie, Japanese honeysuckle, blackberry, agapanthus, black nightshade, buddleia, and cape ivy. Spot prizes are on offer at this event to those who front up with an eradication pest plant - one which Greater Wellington wants to eradicate from the region. Last year's event uncovered a Thorndon infestation of Madeira vine, a tropical South American perennial creeper that grows to 20 metres, seriously threatening our native vegetation.
"Weed swaps have proved to be extremely popular to Wellingtonians", said DOC ecologist John Sawyer. "More and more people are realising the threat that many weedy exotic garden plants pose to our indigenous forests, dunes and wetlands and the benefits of using locally sourced native species instead."
"There are now more exotic plants than native plants in New Zealand. More than 2500 exotic plants have naturalised in the wild while there are fewer than 2400 natives. Seventy percent of weeds are garden escapes that have spread naturally or through the inappropriate dumping of weeds."
DOC stresses that weeds are one of the biggest threats to native New Zealand ecosystems and that it is vital for people with gardens to understand which plants are invasive. Experts will be at the event to offer advice on identification, eradication and responsible disposal of weeds along with advice on what to plant instead. Kiwi Plants Ltd will be selling plants at the event. ENDS