MA

NA

AK

I W

HE

NU

A –

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

H

Landscape restoration

John Innes

Neil Fitzgerald, Olivia Burge

Matakana

25 Nov. 2018

No

ve

mb

er 1

8P

AG

E 2

Diverse definitions spanning ecology, geography and society*

• Heterogeneous land area of interacting ecosystems

• Areas at kilometres-wide human scale of perception

* Wikipedia

‘Landscape’

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 3

core

matrix

edge

fragment/site corridor?

No

ve

mb

er 1

8P

AG

E 4

‘Ecological integrity’ *

• INDIGENOUS DOMINANCE

- ecosystems contain, and are shaped by, native plants and animals

- key element is self-regeneration

• SPECIES OCCUPANCY

- species that could and should be present are present

• ENVIRONMENTAL REPRESENTATION

- distribution of native biota across climates, soils, geologies

* Lee, McGlone, Wright et al. 2005, LC0405/122

Objectives of restoration

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 5Ruru whakapapa, Waikato

Cheri van Schravendijk-Goodman

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 6

What INDIVIDUAL birds need…

Demographic process Habitat Management

Adult survival – roost

– feed

Food

Low predators

Browser control

Predator control

Plant/retain vegetation

Nesting Food for female

Inverts for young

Low predators

Browser control

Predator control

Plant/retain vegetation

Retain old trees

Nest boxes

Chick/subadult survival Low predators

Food

Predator control

Browser control

Natal dispersal Connectivity

Low predators

Plant/retain vegetation

Predator control

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 7

Populations and communities…

Demographic process Habitat Management

Population persistence Adequate area OR

Connectivity

Plant/retain vegetation

Community processes

- Competition

- Mixed flocking

- ?

Restore species

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 8

1. Bird movement

• Seasonal movement – e.g. tui may fly 20 km in winter

• Natal dispersal – from where a bird fledges to where it first nests e.g.

NI kokako, 1600 m, n=174; 15 km for Wenderholm robins

• Breeding dispersal – occasional movements adult birds make between

nesting locations e.g. tui 53 km

• Post-translocation dispersal e.g. Rakiura robin crossed 800 m over

water, cf 100 m limit for dispersing NI robins*

Other key factors: Gap-crossing, predation vulnerability.

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 9

Species Pasture* or sea#

gap-crossing (km) Natal dispersal (km) Other seasonal movements (km)

Bellbird/korimako 22# 22 20

Brown kiwi 0.33* 20 0.26–1

Fantail/pīwakawaka 0.15# Unknown 0.1

Grey warbler/riroriro Unknown 0.9 0.1

Harrier/kahu 22# 100+ 100s

Hihi 0.1−0.3* 0.9-1.7 0.5

Kākā 25# 25 100+

Kererū 33# Unknown 100

Kingfisher/kotare Unknown Unknown 2

Little spotted kiwi Unknown Unknown 0.1

Long-tailed cuckoo 8,000+# Unknown Migratory 8,000+

NZ falcon/karearea 20* 10 2.8–19

NI robin/toutouwai 0.11* 15 0.2

NI tīeke 0.25# 0.8 50–200

Red-crowned kākāriki 100# 2.5 20

Rifleman/tītipounamu 0.3* 1.7 0.15

Shining cuckoo 5,000# Unknown migratory 5,000+

Silvereye/tauhou 100+# 0.16 50–300

Tomtit/miromiro 3# Unknown 0.12–0.16

Tūī 20* 5 20

Whitehead/pōpokatea 0.1* 0.35 0.3

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 1

0

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

1

Cape to City project, Hawkes Bay

Burge et al.

5 km

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

2

Cape to City: Habitat quality

NI robin tui r-c kakariki

Burge et al.

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

3

Cape to City: area-weighted habitat value

NI robin tui r-c kakariki

Burge et al.

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

4

Cape to City: patch connectivity

NI robin tui r-c kakariki

Max. dispersal: 110 m 20 km 100 km

5 km

No

ve

mb

er 1

8co

un

tP

AG

E 1

5

Robin dispersal

600

400

200

6

0

0

0

Distance (m)

0 10000 20000 30000

110 m

Burge et al.

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

6

• Most important patches for robin and tui were forestry plantations

that are ready for clearance.

• Enhancing connectivity for birds like robins is difficult

• Mobile birds can reach existing habitat – they just need more of it

1. Retain exotic forestry and BIG OLD TREES

2. Assess land ‘available’ for habitat creation

– Riparian, roadside, other?

– Plant food trees anywhere for tui, bellbird, kaka, kereru

3. Non-forest species:

– Pāteke, pied stilt, fernbird, spotless & marsh crake, bittern, dabchick

in wetlands

– Pipit, falcon, pūtangitangi in rough pasture

– Banded & NZ dotterel on beaches

So what?

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

7

• More important than previously acknowledged?

• Interacts with predation, habitat area, disease, parasites

• Kaka, kakariki, kereru, kokako nesting needs good food

• Habitat area vs quality?

• Ship rat, possum control increases bird food, reduces predation and

birdslaughter, limits nest disturbance

2. Food supply

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 1

8

• Five native plants preferred by tui, korimako/bellbird and kereru:

Kohekohe, hinau, tree fuchsia, fivefinger and puriri

• Native plants preferred by korimako:

Alseuosmia macrophylla, rewarewa, Phormium cookianum,

Rhabdothamnus solandri, kamahi

• Native plants preferred by kereru:

Titoki, tawa, miro, supplejack, poroporo

Planting ‘paddock trees’ will help mobile frugivores

bellbird

Ch

ris

Sm

uts

-Ken

ned

y

kereru

tui

Native plant species

frequently eaten by tui

(NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

1 = weedy

(a)

Introduced plant species

frequently eaten by tui

(NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

1 = weedy

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 2

1

Banks Peninsula*

• More native birds cf exotics in native forests cf plantations

.. with increased forest area in the landscape

.. with taller vegetation

• Native forest bird abundance in native forests overall neutral re %

exotic forest in the landscape (but +ve rifleman, –ve kereru)

3. Landscape composition

*Barnagaud et al. 2014 Ecology 95; Deconchat et al. 2009 Forest Ecology & Mgmt 258S

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 2

2

• Native forest decline from 90% of landscape to 1% -->60% decline in

bird species richness if no matrix plantations

.. but only 15% decline when 99% matrix is plantation

• Effect strongly non-linear – most benefit accrued when 10% matrix is

plantation

• No benefit for kereru

OSNZ Atlas data (national)*

Ruffell, Clout, Didham 2017 Ecography 40

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 2

3

• Native birds declined rapidly below 5-10% forest cover in landscape

(within 1 km of each site)

• Tomtits absent below 25% forest cover; silvereye and kereru no

effect

• Pest control ineffective unless strong

• Plantations most valuable in low-cover (5-10%?) landscapes

• Options: large-scale planting, let scrub revert, plantations, corridors

195 locations north of Auckland*

Ruffell & Didham 2017 NZ Jnl Ecology 41

No

ve

mb

er 1

8P

AG

E 2

4

• Fence

• Weed control

• Plant to replace or maintain canopy dominants eg tawa, mangeao

• Plant to restore lost species eg rimu, hinau, northern rata, epiphytes

• Browser and predator control

4. Restoring habitat quality

House mouse

Brushtail possum

Cat

Hedgehog

Ship rat

Stoat

Norway rat

Feral goat

Red deer

Ferret

Weasel

Fallow

deer

Rabbit

Dog

Ng

a M

an

u I

mag

es

Ng

a M

an

u I

mag

es

Stoat

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 2

6

Unfenced mainland sanctuary

ship rats

stoat

possum

ferret

kokako Ng

a M

an

u I

mag

es

robin tree weta

S. W

ills

NI brown kiwi whio kaka

M. R

oth

well

Kakari

ki G

am

es

Pest-fenced ‘island’

Tuatara

Hihi

Tieke

Little spotted kiwi

Giant

weta

Kakapo

Duvaucel’s

gecko

Maungatautari

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 2

9

Other restoration ideas

Low pest fences

Win

gsp

an

Ruru nest boxes

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 3

0

Small fragments are made for lizards and inverts!

Oligosoma chesterfieldWest Coast, South Island

Tre

nt

Bell

Mokopirirakau sp.

Southern North Island

Tre

nt

Bell

Naultinus sp.

North Cape, North Island

Tre

nt

Bell

Eastern speckled skink

Cape Kidnappers

No

ve

mb

er 1

8T

ITL

E G

OE

S H

ER

EP

AG

E 3

1

• Benefits of managing forest cover vs pest control are context

dependant

• Depends on current forest cover and intensity of pest control

• Challenges our knowledge of factors limiting populations

• Increasing native forest area extremely difficult cf pest control

• Corridors likely to benefit some birds BUT there need to be travelling

birds AND somewhere to go

• Meanwhile: fence, weed, plant, poison, trap, plan, translocate, laugh,

drink...

Conclusions

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 3

2

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 3

3

No

ve

mb

er 1

8M

AN

AA

KI

WH

EN

UA

–

LA

ND

CA

RE

R

ES

EA

RC

HP

AG

E 3

4

Seasonal availability and use of introduced plant fruit (red), and flowers (orange) frequently eaten by bellbirds. Plant use from Rasch & Craig (1988); Williams & Karl (1996); Robertson et al. (1999); Higgins et al (2001); Medway (2006); Anderson (2011); Pattemore & Anderson (2013). Plant phenology from New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (www.nzpcn.org.nz) and iNaturalistNZ (www.inaturalist.nz).1 Known or likely weed species (M Smale pers com.).

1 = weedy

Native plant species

frequently eaten by

bellbird (NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

X = not on tui list

1 = weedy

(a)

x

x

x

x

x

(b)

Native plant species

frequently eaten by

bellbird (NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

X = not on tui list

1 = weedy

xx

x

x

x

x

x

x

Introduced plant species

frequently eaten by

kereru (NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

Foliage

1 = weedy

Native plant species

frequently eaten by

kereru (NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

Foliage

1 = weedy

(a)

Native plant species

frequently eaten by

kereru (NZ-wide)

Fruit

Flowers/nectar

Foliage

1 = weedy

(b)