Athenree Wetland widened

The breach of a stop-bank along the Waiau River by Department of Conservation (DOC) staff yesterday, was the first step in fulfilling the dying wishes of the late Maurice (Snow) Garde-Browne who wanted part of his Athenree farm restored to wetland.

In 2006, Mr Browne gifted 22 hectares of low lying grazing land to the Department on the condition that it would be restored to wetland/saltmarsh. The gifted land is adjacent to the existing Athenree Wildlife Refuge Reserve.

“It was an incredibly generous gift” says DOC Ranger, Dan Rapson whom is managing the wetland restoration project. “The Athenree wetland is regionally significant. It holds some of the largest populations of threatened wetland species in the Bay including Australasian bittern, banded rail and North Island fernbird. By increasing the wet area, there will be more habitat and hiding places over time, allowing these populations to grow further”.

The key to wetland restoration is letting water in and keeping the area wet. The Department has been working with Environment Bay of Plenty in planning the project. The two agencies expect that the stop bank will be sufficient for the high tide coming up-river to inundate the area over time, killing off the grass and weeds and providing suitable environment for salt marsh plants to establish.

Many of the wetlands around the margins of Tauranga Harbour have been modified or lost over the years due to reclamation, drainage, weed encroachment and grazing. Yet these wetlands provide valuable services to people, including services such as flood & coastal hazard mitigation and control, sediment filtering, water quality regulation and carbon absorption, which are vital to a healthy economy.

Along with habitat for rare native plants and animals, wetlands also offer economic and social benefit to people through outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities.
The Department plans to work with the local Council and community in the coming years to involve people in the management of the wetland and develop visitor access. This work will be kicked off with a community planting day being planned for Sunday 13th September as part of the Conservation Week (13-20 September) programme.