Restoration Vision for the upper Mangaiti Park Gully
To restore the native flora of upper Mangaiti Gully, Hamilton, New Zealand, back to pre European status and to sustainably manage it in such a way that native fauna will re establish, either naturally or by introduction.
How to achieve the vision
1. Planning.
2. Community involvement
3. Resources and funding
4. Create an educational resource
5. Generate a local urban resource
6. Good Governance
Planning
1. Survey and document the existing flora and fauna. This would require guidance and support from various local environmental agencies eg DOC, Landcare, University of Waikato.
2. Create a list of fauna that should be targeted for re establishment.
3. Document the environmental conditions each species requires for a successful establishment.
4. Using a plant list extracted from “Indigenous Vegetation Types of Hamilton’s Gullies”. A report by Landcare Research prepared by Beverly R. Clarkson and Bruce D. Clarkson in July 1997 (revised April 2000) for the Ministry of the Environment, create a planting plan to meet the fauna’s requirements and that of a balanced indigenous gully. Where practical use eco sourced seeds / plants.
Community involvement
Teams to be formed from interested community people (individuals, community groups, schools) to take responsibility for the following functions:
1. Water ways monitoring:
Creek temperature, creek levels, rainfall, fish and other aquatic surveys
2. Pest control and monitoring:
Possums, rats, mustelids, feral cats
3. Ornithology (birds):
Surveys to monitor species.
4. General fauna:
Recording types of Insects, lizards, snails etc.
5. Flora:
Surveying existing native flora, developing a planting plan in consultation with the other teams.
6. Plant Nursery (home based)
Raising seedlings, collecting seed (eco sourced)
7. Plastic milk bottles.
To collect clean and cut down for planter pots
8. Bamboo stakes.
To collect, trim and cut to length.
Resources and funding
1. The gully is council land. Hamilton City Council helps resource gully restoration groups by supplying trees to plant and other support functions.
2. Apply for funding once a budget was drawn up. There are a number of funding organisations that specialise in native flora restoration work.
It is not expected that the funding requirement would be that high.
Create an educational resource
There is a high school, an intermediate and four primary schools in close proximity to this gully. The documentation of the surveys would be made available for school projects. Schools and community groups would be encouraged to visit and participate in what is being done in the gully (planting days etc)
Generate a local urban resource
Once the development got to a certain stage it is envisaged that the council would build a public walkway (as opposed to a service track) through the gully for recreational purposes.
Good Governance
The gully land is public land under the administration of Hamilton City Council. The “Gully Restoration Group” must abide by the council’s policy and operate in such a manner that it is for the long term public good.
This vision was created by using a template supplied by: The Tarani Group Pty Ltd ... creating business, sustaining the earth
