Summary
Project River Recovery (PRR) continues to give highest priority to preventing weed invasion of the near pristine 'upper rivers', above the hydro lakes of the upper Waitaki basin. The success of this work depends on working closely with various stakeholders including Land Information New Zealand, Environment Canterbury, and landholders.
Over 4,500 hours of targeted, ground-based spot spraying of weeds was carried out in nine riverbeds and two managed wetlands.
Project River Recovery spent $428,412 in the 2007/2008 financial year.
This is the fourth complete year of trapping and monitoring results from the Tasman River predator-control project. This is a joint programme between PRR and the kakï recovery group, using a range of predator control and monitoring techniques.
- Hatching success for banded dotterels was 91%, 39% for black-fronted terns and 85% for wrybills. Fledging success of wrybills was 54-73%, and black-fronted terns 23%.
A pilot survey of invertebrates is in progress. Its aim is to identify methods which can be used to survey the terrestrial invertebrate fauna of plant communities characteristic of upper Waitaki riverbeds.
- So far over 400 different taxa have been identified from the 15% of specimens identified so far. The greatest diversity of species is in the taxonomic orders Diptera (flies), Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) and Hymenoptera (bees and wasps), and the most abundant are Hemiptera (true bugs).
- Twenty six of the Diptera taxa and four of the Hymenoptera are thought to be previously undescribed species.
Three sites for monitoring long-term population change of upland longjaw (Galaxias prognathus) in the Tasman and Hopkins rivers were re-measured.
Wetland management has included fence maintenance, weed control and water-level manipulation at Waterwheel and Ruataniwha wetlands.
Project River Recovery has undertaken a range of community relations activities, including giving talks to a number of schools and universities.
PRR staff consulted with stakeholders as required by ongoing operations.
The braided river multi-species poster and braided river field guide continue to prove popular, and have been distributed free to many schools and visitors.
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