Background
Mana Island is a 217 ha scientific reserve administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC) which lies 3 km off the Wellington west coast, New Zealand. The island was farmed for over 150 years before the last stock were removed in 1986. Forest was then confined to less than 2 ha in one steep-sided valley.
Map of Mana Island
(view larger JPG, 40K)
The island has been free of all introduced mammals since mice were eradicated in 1989. An ongoing planting programme totalling over half a million trees was started in 1987, and has created a swathe of low forest and open shrublands.
Community conservation groups, especially the Friends of Mana Island Society (FOMI), have contributed thousands of volunteer hours to tree planting, hand-feeding translocated seabird chicks, installing nest boxes, weeding, bird monitoring, and many other tasks. FOMI have also raised sponsorship funds for bird and lizard transfers, bird attraction and monitoring equipment, subsidised transport for tree planters, and other projects to assist the two resident DOC staff.
Introductions of plants, birds, lizards and insects
Goldstripe gecko
Eight bird species have been introduced, most notably three species of burrow-nesting seabirds, plus the island has the largest takahe population away from Fiordland, with over 40 birds. In addition to about 50 species of trees and shrubs, ten species of threatened non-woody plants have been planted on the island.
A small wetland restored in 1999 has a resident population of threatened brown teal descended from captive-reared birds released in 2001. The island is the stronghold of the Cook Strait giant weta, goldstripe gecko and McGregor's skink, all of which had resident populations which narrowly survived the mouse plagues of the late 1980s.
Mana Island's diverse lizard community of ten species includes four that have been introduced. Two large flightless weevil species have also been introduced. The restoration programme aims to recreate an ecosystem typical of a Cook Strait Island, including dense seabird colonies, diverse and abundant reptile and invertebrate populations, and coastal forest, shrubland and wetland inhabited by native birds.
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