.jpg)
Why Bother Doing Restoration? ....and other FAQ
Why do Site assessments and research first?
It’s important to understand the existing vegetation and the ecological context of a site. Future ecological trends and regeneration processes also should be understood before planting and deciding on the right plants to revive or support these processes.
It’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to choosing plants. For example by choosing the most hardy species only. Which may seem like a good strategy for success. But this ignores many factors. Planting a variety of species that will provide food for birds, lizards and insects all year around is one of many considerations when planting.
Experts also take care to identify impediments to natural regeneration first.
Proper research and site assessments provide well informed project design.
Noone is TRYING TO REWIND TIME
We can use the past as a reference point, not as a goal of the future.Restoration is not to turn back the evolutionary clock. That's impossible. But Instead think of restoration as setting the clock ticking again.
WHY monitor first?
Monitoring allows you to understand where are the best places for your traps to be effective. It also shows you want kind of pest we need to target in your Pest control plan. You may think you know this already, but it's often suprising to people what creeps around at night. These mostly nocturnal predators have specialized in not being seen.
And most importantly It is a measure of success that can be quantified too.
There are affordable ways to monitor (chewcards) and more sophisticated ways ( MT-cameras), we'll find something that works.
Why go with Wildsight
Many Ecological restoration consultants take an approach of just plugging hardy species into the ground. They are easy to get, and you don’t have to pay for much planning or site investigation. Sure if it’s not a nice site, hardy species are a great start. But there is often a lack of making any more effort to consider the future workings of an ecosystem that is merely established by, say Kanuka and Karamū. There won’t be much resilience in that either. These practices are not up to snuff for those who understand how forests work and what makes them resilient. It’s not worth investing in a bit of greenery if it’s not self-sustaining either and doesn’t lead to a resilient site. There are some real ‘ecological disasters’ that have been planted, due to a lack of effort and understanding.
On a Budget?
Most people don’t have all the funds needed for restoration work on their private land. This doesn’t mean restoration can’t be done, it is however a limiting factor. I know some tricks on how to work with limiting factors and can discuss alternative plans for tight budgets. Doing restoration work that is slow and under resourced is better than doing nothing. Additionally I can connect you to relevant funding options for private landowners which can cover 40-50% of the costs. Reach out to discuss these options.
Why is Pest Control the holy grail?
Because managing weeds/pests to facilitate natural regeneration can be more cost-effective, and even have better ecological outcomes than planting in some cases. If there is existing bush in the surroundings then birds will eventually bring seeds to the land. But this doesn't work if the birds and seeds are under danger to be munched by predators, and not if the weeds make it too hard for the establishment of any seedlings.
Culture and Land Hand in hand
A relevant part of good restoration includes understanding the historical ecology and the indigenous use and value of the restoration land. Historical ecology is not about the past - it’s about the future. It brings together culture and nature and guides future action on restoration.It’s not about protecting land from people but reviving it’s ever continuing relationship with tangata whenua.
Restoration = Care
One of the common themes that emerges from restoration efforts that promote biodiversity through protection of native species is the basic human instinct to care (Egan 1988)We all have something we love and care about in nature. And we are willing to protect it if it’s under threat. My work seeks to support these efforts and share my knowledge and skills to enable this.
How many traps will I need for a trapline
Best practice is a distance of 50x50m for traps when it comes to Rats. This is based on what we know about the animals homerange (which frankly hasn’t had the amount of research it deserves). But it’s just not as simple as 50x50m. Often traps get put in the unsuitable places because the decision was to stick to this distance. There are better and worse spots for trapping rats, possums, hedgehogs, mice, stoats. Just like I’m more likely to find you in the kitchen, then in the closet. My traplines get set up based on a mix of home range and home suitability. This approach I found much more effective.
What to plant where?
Native forests are complex ecosystems made up for hundreds of different plants. It may appear that the distribution of plants in these complex systems is random, but that’s not the case at all. Understanding what factors determine the plant's location in a forest, informs Wildsights restoration plans and is the magic ingredient for self-sustaining and sucessfull regrowth.
Why exclude livestock?
Various animals, including goats, deer, pigs, possums, hares, and rabbits, share an appetite for fresh seedlings. Additionally livestock can exacerbate land instability, making it more susceptible to erosion and slippage. The installation of fences serves a crucial purpose in enabling plants to establish roots and stabilize steep hillsides, effectively mitigating downstream sedimentation issues. For any successful planting it is important to protect the plants from grazing for those first couple of years until they can get properly established.
