Predator trapping will reach a “grand scale” in the Mackenzie Basin in a bid to help the plight of endangered braided-river birds.
The Te Manahuna Aoraki Project, launched in November, has already laid 1100 traps in the Cass Valley and a further 1030 are planned for the the Godley and MacAulay river networks in the central South Island by the end of April.
Te Manahuna Aoraki spokesperson Robyn Janes said these were the first trapping networks established for the Cass, Godley and MacAulay River systems, and when finished, will extend the network from 26,000 hectares (the size of the original Tasman network originally set up by Department Of Conservation and Project River Recovery) to 60,000 ha.
Te Manahuna Aoraki project manager Simone Cleland said the project was absolutely vital for the protection of braided river birds and their habitat from predators like cats, ferrets, stoats, weasels and hedgehogs.
