Forest & Bird’s Waitakere branch is restoring Te Henga wetland in West Auckland by removing pest species and re-introducing native wildlife.
Te Henga is the largest remaining wetland in Auckland and home to a wide range of native animals including bittern, fernbird and spotless crake and pāteke (brown teal).
Forest & Bird’s Waitākere branch is controlling predators in the area and restoring it with plantings, helping to protect these species and return this valuable habitat to its natural state.
Pāteke (brown teal)
Pāteke (brown teal) were released to the wetland in January of 2015 after extensive predator control helped make the habitat safe for their survival.
These small, brown ducks were originally found through the area and across over 80% of New Zealand. Like many of our native birds, their numbers have declined drastically and they are threatened by predation from introduced mammals.
Predator control
Over 250 traps help control introduced predators like mustelids (stoats and weasels), feral cats and rats over more than 500 hectares of wetland.
Wildlife corridor
Wetland birds aren’t the only species to benefit from predator control at Te Henga. It also links with Ark in the Park to create a corridor for North Island robin, whitehead and kōkako. It also joins with the coast, protecting local seabird populations.
Supporters
We would like to thank all the funders who have helped make this project possible:
- Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund
- Auckland Council Biosecurity
- The Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Trust
- WWF-NZ
What can you do
You can make a contribution to help us protect this valuable ecosystem and the species it helps sustain. ASB 12-3100-0109066-00. Please tag your contribution with “tehenga” so we can identify it.
