Restoring ecosystem health – Recloaking Papatūānuku

Plan Goal 1: Protect and restore high levels of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem health to enhance indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem services. 

There are multiple streams of work and people supporting this goal in parks and a significant programme called Recloaking Papatūānuku, or the Parks Restoration Programme. This programme has been funded through the Long Term Plan by Council’s Low Carbon Acceleration Fund (LCAF).   

Recloaking Papatūānuku is currently focused on wetland and forest restoration plantings in QEP and Kaitoke and planning for other parks. It’s not just about planting trees. Most of the region’s bushland has regenerated through natural processes. The restoration programme is supporting natural processes of regeneration with extensive pest plant and animal management work. Fire threat management plans and work such as preparation of fire break trails are also supporting the restoration programme.  

If you would like to get involved in restoration-related work, there are recreation and conservation groups in every park who are helping out. You can find a group and contact details on our volunteering page. We are also looking for contractors to join our Restoration Services Panel and provide the many services required to help us plant over 1,000,000 native plants each winter for the next ten years.

From this to this... it just takes commitment and time and there is still much work to do (two very different landscapes in Belmont park).