Trounson Kauri Park Mainland Island progress report
2002/2003 Summary
Trounson Kauri Park is a 445 ha mixed kauri, podocarp-hardwood forest located north of Dargaville. The park is regarded as an associated fragment of the Waipoua-Waima-Mataraua forest continuum, and hence a priority area for conservation management (Conservation Management Strategy, Northland Conservancy, Volume 1). This Mainland Island restoration project has been in operation since 1996. The main focus of the project is to control introduced pests and predators to levels allowing the recovery and restoration of the park's ecosystem. Results and highlights of 2001-2 and 2002-3 are summarised below under the appropriate objectives.
Pest management and results monitoring
The control programme for possums and rodents is based on a poison regime with ~500 Philproof bait stations set out in a 100m x 100m grid, and ~450 mouse-specific stations between the larger stations resulting in a 50m x 100m spacing. This showed good seasonal control of rodents in spring but still shows the typical population explosion in autumn. Mice have not been effectively controlled and have continued to fluctuate.
Predators are targeted using trapping regimes. Mustelids (ferrets, stoats and weasels) are controlled with Fenn No 6 traps. Cats were targeted for four years with 1½ inch soft-catch Victor leghold traps. These were replaced with Conibear traps by November 2000. The trapping regimes focus on the perimeter of the park and likely reinvasion avenues. Cats and stoats are the most frequently trapped predators. A more intensive Fenn trapping regime was initiated in the third year with the addition of an internal lin
Kiwi chick predation is used as an indicator of the effectiveness of the predator control programme.
Bird counts show significant increases in abundance due to this management regime, some of which is attributable to the predator control work.
Vegetation monitoring and five minute bird counts continue to show a positive response, with pigeon abundance being particularly notable. The whole forest's restoration has been dramatic.
A tusked weta was found in the DOC workplace at Trounson during 2000-1. This is the first record at Trounson and the most southern record of the species. This year tusked weta boxes (49) were placed on samples of seven different tree species around the edge of the park to sample for further tusked weta and look at vegetation preference.
Species introductions
No translocations were carried out between July 2001 and June 2003. Previously translocated species - Brown teal (pateke), NI kokako and NI robin (toutouwai) - are no longer thought to be present in Trounson. NI kokako in Waipoua, Mataraua and Waima forests are being managed in situ.
Public awareness and community participation
This year saw the completion of the main interpretation project with the second talking point at a mature kauri on the boardwalk on "life as a 1200 year old tree" finished and functional. Advocacy with schools and the public has continued. Trounson participated in the Learnz audio conference for Conservation week. A third Trounson Tribune was produced and distributed locally along with the kiwi survival guide and a flyer on kiwi being killed by dogs at the Park. Talks were given to various schools from around Northland, and Auckland.
Trounson benefits greatly from volunteer workers from overseas and New Zealand. Polytechnic students and Conservation Corp also participate in work at Trounson, gaining valuable field experience.
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