Protecting our wildlife

The New Zealand falcon/kārearea is known to inhabit the unique combination of open clearfelled areas and standing forest all over the City Forests estate. 

A rare east coast South Island robin/kakaruai population exists in Silverpeaks forest. The University of Otago Zoology Department has monitored numbers, distribution and breeding over a number of years, and City Forests has contributed to this programme. The University of Otago and DOC have now translocated two groups of birds from Silverpeaks Forest to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, with the cooperation of City Forests. In more recent times City Forests has helped fund a multi-year University of Otago led study of Robin breeding success in response to possum control operations in our Silverpeaks forest.

City Forests is progressing an enhancement project of the threatened Eldon’s galaxias/native fish population in Waipori Forest. The population is one of only eighteen known.

City Forests and Fish & Game Otago share in the ownership of the Tokomairiro Wetland, on which there is a QE2 Open Space Covenant. The wetland is an important habitat for South Island fern bird/kotata. Spotless crake/puweto and bittern/matuku have also been recorded.