Building Biodiversity

We manage numerous reserves across Otago where hoiho nest or come ashore: Tavora in Waitaki; four on the Otago Peninsula including Okia; and Irahuka Long Point in the Catlins. Our strategy is to prevent harmful encroachment onto hoiho habitat by legally protecting the land as reserves. Today, the organisation manages over 1000 acres of land along Aotearoa’s coast. As guardians of these sites, we are responsible for ensuring these coastal habitats are a flourishing safe haven for hoiho.

One of the major threats that hoiho face on land is the presence of introduced mammalian predators. Predators like ferrets, feral cats, hedgehogs, possums, rats, mice, rabbits and stoats cause significant impact on the survival of native species like the hoiho, which cannot recover or adapt in response. As a result, the ecological balance tips. This leads to decreased biodiversity, which then negatively impacts the well-being of humans, flora, fauna, and oceans.