ECOLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY STRATEGY

Upper Harbour is home to many areas of high ecological significance. Multiple community and council-led projects are underway to help protect and enhance biodiversity. 

However, Upper Harbour’s ecosystems face multiple significant pressures, including from urbanisation and development, climate change, and the resulting loss of habitat and connectivity. 

This Ecological Connectivity Strategy was funded by the Upper Harbour Local Board to help achieve landscape-scale ecological restoration and connectivity. The Strategy was created by Boffa Miskell for Auckland Council in collaboration with mana whenua, Council and local communities.

The Strategy has four key objectives:

This Strategy identifies gaps and evaluates opportunities to protect, enhance, connect, and extend existing valuable habitats to create functional networks of green spaces. The ultimate goal is to enable communities and council to work cohesively to achieve effective conservation outcomes.

1. Map and describe areas of high ecological value within the Upper Harbour district.
2. Identify gaps and evaluate opportunities to protect, enhance, connect, and extend existing valuable habitats, conservation areas, habitat corridors and ecological connections.
3. Prioritise areas for management with recommended management techniques.
4. Enable mana whenua, Council, communities and other agencies to work together to achieve conservation outcomes

The Strategy has been designed to align with, and help achieve the environmental objectives of existing conservation initiatives and strategies, including the North-West Wildlink, the Urban Ngahere Strategy and the Upper Harbour Open Space Network.

The slider below shows how much original native landcover in the Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland region has been lost since pre-human settlement. The current extent and quality of our native ecosystems is significantly reduced, and remains under pressure from development. Our combined efforts across mana whenua, community, Council, and other conservation organisations are crucial to maintain the remaining areas and their linkages, and restore those we have lost.

Compare Upper Harbour’s current and potential landcover by dragging the slider left or right. Refer to the  Indigenous terrestrial and wetland ecosystems of Auckland  (Singers et al., 2017) for descriptions of each ecosystem type.

‘Connectivity’ is the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes movement among habitat patches and spatially distributed resources ( Taylor et al., 1993 ).

Ecological connectivity can be assessed by examining structure and/or function. Structural connectivity describes the physical presence, location, shape, and dimensions of habitat. Functional connectivity describes how easy it is for individuals or populations of a species, or the functioning of ecosystem processes that require flow of certain elements around the landscape.

The degree of connectivity depends on the species and ecological processes of interest. Different species use the landscape in different ways; depending on the habitat preferences, movement ability and their life stage (e.g. juvenile/seed dispersal). Conservation strategies therefore need account for multiple species with different movement traits and habitat needs to identify and preserve a connected and functional ecological network.

The images on the right show the varied landscapes present in the Upper Harbour Local Board area.

To develop connectivity models, four ‘umbrella species’ that represent a range of habitat types and movement abilities were selected for analysis. These species are:

• Kererū (NZ woodpigeon) – forest ecosystems
• Matuku (Australasian bittern) – wetlands
• Mohu-pererū (banded rail) – estuarine margin
• Pekapeka-tou-roa (long-tailed bat) – mature trees/forests

The concept of umbrella species is widely used to help guide and prioritise conservation management. Umbrella species are often conservation priorities (e.g. threatened species), or species for which conservation actions undertaken to protect them will benefit a wide range of other species and the ecosystems in which they inhabit.

Many other native ecosystems and native species are also threatened and fragmented, and would benefit from conservation actions to improve quality and connectivity. The current Strategy provides a starting point, and other species (such as kauri snail and inanga) and ecosystems may be added in future.

Refer to the  written report  for detailed definitions and methods.

Habitat connectivity was analysed for the selected umbrella species using the software Linkage Mapper. The two main model inputs for each species are 1) core habitat areas, and 2) a resistance surface (a map that depicts how hard it is for a given species to move across the landscape). 

The outputs of the analysis include linkages between core habitats based on the least-cost paths and dispersal distance of each species. These linkages are used to help identify and prioritise areas for conservation action. Refer to the written report for detailed definitions and methods.

All maps created for each umbrella species are provided on the Interactive Map. Key maps for each species are provided in this section. Map layers include:

• Core Habitats – A primary model input, which shows patches of suitable habitat for each umbrella species. For this analysis, Core Habitats are defined as areas equal or greater to the minimum home range size or minimum patch size for that species. These large patches are priority areas for protection, enhancement, and connection.
• Other Suitable Habitats – Areas of suitable habitat smaller than Core Habitats (i.e. areas that are smaller than the minimum home range or patch size for that species). These smaller areas play an important role in connectivity, potentially offering stepping stone habitats between Core Habitats and seasonal food resources. These areas would benefit from protection and enhancement, especially those within the buffers around the Least Cost Paths.
• Least Cost Paths (LCPs) and buffers – A key model output, which shows the path of least resistance (easiest movement) between core habitats, based on the Resistance Surface. Yellow lines indicate current linkages within the estimated maximum dispersal distance. Pink lines show potential linkages, currently beyond the estimated maximum dispersal distance. Management actions to improve connectivity should focus efforts within the buffers shown either side of least-cost paths (200 m for kererū and matuku; 100 m for mohu-pererū).
• Core Habitat Connections – These are straight-line connections between adjacent Core Habitats, shown on the maps as white dotted lines. Unlike the Least Cost Paths, these lines show connections without the influence of the Resistance Surface (depicting the underlying habitat type and landscape features such as roads).
• Cost-Weighted Distance (CWD) – Shows the movement resistance accumulated (i.e. total movement difficulty) as the species move away from Core Habitats. Blue areas are closer to Core Habitats and are therefore easiest to traverse, followed by yellow and then red areas, which are furthest away from any Core Habitat.
• Resistance Surface – A primary model input, which shows how easy (or hard) it is for the umbrella species to move between Core Habitats, based on the underlying habitat type and landscape features (e.g. roads). Areas that are currently difficult for that species to move through are shown in black, which should be the focus of conservation actions aiming to increase connectivity, while areas that are easier to move through are shown in white.

This Strategy is designed as a tool to help identify, prioritise, and guide collaborative conservation in Upper Harbour. The recommendations outlined in this Strategy are potential recommendations based on the connectivity models, and may not be appropriate in all locations (e.g. due to land tenure).

Many species would benefit from enhanced connectivity, beyond those used as umbrella species to help inform this Strategy. Landscape connectivity differs widely among species (e.g. kererū compared to miromiro/ tomtit, kaka, or pekapeka-tou-roa), and it may be helpful to consider the movement requirements for different species for particular projects. Freshwater species such as inanga provide a potential future option to incorporate into and further improve the Strategy. Note the use of any species used as indicators of success will depend on the quality and consistency of baseline and subsequent monitoring data.

The analysis also does not take into consideration ongoing pressures, such as climate change, land use change/intensification and the increasing human population in Auckland. These compounding issues will likely continue putting pressure on the quality and extent of core habitats and the connections, and also need to be considered moving forward.

The overall connectivity models are the best representation of ecological connections based on currently existing data and software. The Linkage Mapper algorithms and calculations are also only as good as the data inputs. For example, landcover is often provided at a coarse scale and can change quickly. The resolution of the habitat raster for kererū was 100m, 4m for mohu-pererū and 20m for matuku. Alternative paths of similar costs between patches may also be present or arise in future that are not displayed here.

Kererū (New Zealand woodpigeon; Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) are generalist frugivores (fruit-eaters), and play a vital role in dispersing seeds of native fruiting species. Since the extinction of moa and other large birds (and range restriction of others), the seed dispersal of the large fruiting native plants such as taraire is largely dependent on kererū. These birds are typically found in patches of native bush where food is available.

Kererū have relatively high mobility, and utilise small patches of a minimum 1-2 ha within much larger home ranges (~20 ha). Their maximum movement distance used to inform the connectivity analysis was taken to be 4,620 m, their maximum reported pasture crossing distance. The main threats for kererū are predation, habitat loss, and competition for food (mainly from possums). Their conservation status is Not Threatened.

These attributes can make kererū an ideal ‘umbrella’ species for forest ecosystems and a good indicator of effectiveness of management actions, such as predator control and planting additional native fruiting trees (providing that good baseline and subsequent trend data is obtained).

Matuku (Australian bittern; Botaurus poiciloptilus) are a cryptic (hard to find) predominantly wetland bird, included in this Strategy to capture the connectivity of important wetland and freshwater habitats. They can be found in a range of freshwater to semi-salty environments (including farm drains and wetland/farmland edges, as well as brackish riverine, estuarine, palustrine, and lacustrine habitats).

Their minimum core habitat patch size is estimated at 0.1 ha for the connectivity analysis, but they may make use of even smaller patches within a much larger home range. Most movements are typically short, averaging 287 m per day in one study, with the maximum daily distance travelled of 1,280 m used in the analysis.

Their distribution is thought to have decreased by ~50% in the last 100 years, primarily due to the clearance and drainage of approximately 90% of New Zealand’s wetlands. Maintaining connectivity among these habitats is crucial for this species with a conservation status of Nationally Critical.

Mohu-pererū (banded rail; Gallirallus philippensis) are a cryptic (hard to find) bird found in coastal wetlands, mangroves, and saltmarshes. They feed on crustaceans, insects, and worms; as well as dead fish, seeds, eggs, and fruit when available.

Although they are not often seen, mohu-pererū may be spotted in open areas less than 10 m from dense cover, or up to 280 m on tidal flats with mangroves. They have been found in even small habitat patches of 0.01 ha. Their conservation status is At Risk – Declining.

This species is a potential indicator of wetland health because they are dependent on the presence of high quality and ecologically diverse habitats and rich food supplies. Mohu-pererū have disappeared from much of New Zealand since the 1970s, and require management actions including protection of habitat and predator control.

The Rail Trail is a recent community initiative that links predator control efforts around the Upper Harbour coastline. The aim of the Rail Trail is to aim is to bring back mohu-pererū and other shore birds to the coastline of the Upper Waitematā Harbour, and is a collaboration between existing predator control groups that are all members of the Upper Harbour Ecology Network.

The North Island subspecies of long-tailed bat, pekapeka-tou-roa (Chalinolobus tuberculata) is found throughout the North Island. As insectivores, they play an important ecological role in managing insect populations and are an indication of a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

Their preferred natural habitat is mature forest with many tall, hollow trees, but they may forage over both indigenous and exotic forests (including plantation forest), open ground and cutover forest. All habitat types with the potential to contain mature, tall-stature trees were considered potentially important habitat, including even small patches or individual trees.

Bats are able to fly large distances and commonly forage along linear features in the landscape (e.g. shelter belts). However, there is little information about how this species disperses or uses habitat patches in the landscape, especially within the Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.

With a conservation status of Threatened: Nationally Critical, maintaining and enhancing ecological connectivity is crucial for the survival of New Zealand’s only native land mammal.

This section outlines recommended management areas and actions based on the connectivity models developed for forest, wetland, and estuarine margin ecosystems.

The table below summarises the priority objectives, areas, and actions recommended for each ecosystem, numbered in order of priority if resources (time and money) are limited. Scroll down for the overall Forest, Wetland and Estuarine Margin Connectivity Models showing the prioritised areas for management.

All map layers can also be explored in the Interactive Map (link in the menu bar across the top). Click on individual core habitats to see the habitat number (a unique number identifying each core habitat for ease of communication), the number of core habitat connections (core habitats with a higher number of connections are more important for connectivity), and whether the core habitat contains an SEA, a BFA, and/or a Wildlink Wonder. See the User Guide section for more information on how different groups can use the Strategy.

The remainder of this section provides guidance on how to undertake the recommended management actions, namely:

• Mammalian predator control
• Pest plant control
• Buffer planting (forest, riparian, and wetland margins)
• Creating and enhancing forest habitat
• Utilising transport infrastructure as ecological corridors
• Planning and delivering projects to improve ecological connectivity

Note that the priorities outlined here are only intended to guide limited resources/funding towards actions that will provide the most benefit for the effort required. The conservation actions listed below can and should be applied across the full extent of Upper Harbour. The core habitats have also been mapped based on habitat type, and thus include both public and private land. Consent from landowners must be obtained before undertaking any activities on private property.

Introduced mammalian predators are one of the key threats to many native species, including all four umbrella species. Undertaking intensive mammalian predator control across the full extent of Upper Harbour is ideal, and one of the most effective management actions to improve connectivity.

Given limited resources, priority areas for control are the core habitats for forests, wetlands, and the coastal margin, prioritised for each ecosystem by number of core habitat connections (colour-coded on the Interactive Map). Core habitats of all ecosystem types are likely important breeding and/or feeding grounds for their associated species, have potential to act as refuges from predation and source populations that will spread into the surrounding landscape as connectivity increases, and reduce the overall resistance of the landscape (i.e. reduce the risk of movement by providing safe stepping-stone habitats).

It is also important to undertake predator control in buffer zones around each core habitat to prevent predator reinvasion. At minimum, control should be undertaken within at least 500 m around all core habitats, which will help minimise rat reinvasion. For wide-ranging predators such as stoats, at least a 1 km buffer zone of predator control is recommended, and ideally up to 3 km or more (in particular around the coastal margin, habitat which is both a preferred movement pathway of predators and also home to vulnerable ground-nesting native birds). Overall, where predator control across the full extent of Upper Harbour is not yet in place, the larger the buffer, the better.

Movement pathways of predators should be a key target when planning trap locations to increase the effectiveness of the control network. Forest corridors, the coastal margin, waterways, roads, and tracks, are often routes used by mammalian predators to move or disperse across the landscape. Although major roads may act as a barrier to mammalian predator movement and reinvasion, walkways, tracks, and some roads provide easy movement pathways both for mammalian predators and people servicing traps, so control along these features can be highly cost-effective.

This connectivity strategy is a tool that should be used in conjunction with historic pest control and monitoring data, and Auckland Council’s pest control guidelines, to inform where to prioritise pest control at a finer scale. Reviewing historic data can provide valuable information on hotspots with high catch rates, seasonal trends, and the effectiveness of particular management actions, trap types and lure types. For this reason, maintaining accurate and precise data records, using a data management software such as TrapNZ or CatchIT, is crucial. Ideally, annual reviews of predator control and monitoring data should be undertaken to identify, identify gaps in the control network and potential invasion corridors, and continually optimise control locations and methods.

Target species for control are rats, weasels, stoats, ferrets, possums, hedgehogs, and unowned cats, primarily using traps and toxins. A range of both trap and bait types should be used to target different individuals of the target species. A list of all pest species are on the  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau conservation pest search website . A list of traps that have passed (and failed) humane testing for each target species can be found on the  Bionet website . Auckland Council’s  Pest animal control guidelines for the Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland  also contains useful advices and tips for maximum success of pest animal control operations.

To increase control efficacy, traps/bait stations should be located at a minimum of the recommended spacing for each target species along lines in key habitats or likely movement corridors for mammalian predators. Mustelids often move along linear features such as roads, fences and habitat boundaries, waterways and around wetlands, which also make for easier serving than a standard grid. A range of lure types should also be used, with the type changed occasionally. Pulses of toxic control can also be used, primarily to control rats and possums, and must always be deployed as per label instructions. All pest management data should be accurately recorded (e.g. in TrapNZ) to allow for review of the control network and analysis of management effectiveness.

As well as the protection of biodiversity values, widespread and sustained predator control also helps to achieve Pest Free Auckland and Predator Free 2050 eradication objectives. Multiple predator control-focussed community group initiatives are already underway, including in many local reserves. For example, the recent Rail Trail Project aims to trap the coastal estuarine margin around Upper Harbour to better protect vulnerable species including mohu-pererū, pūweto, torea and kuaka.

If not already, Pest Free groups and pest animal management projects are encouraged to add their efforts to the community group directory through  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau / Conservation Auckland  website, to show where pest animal control is currently occurring and remaining gaps still requiring control. Comprehensive guides and resources to establish an effective pest animal control network is provided in the Useful Links section.

Undertaking pest plant control has numerous benefits, in particular as a way to enhance the quality of core habitats. Although there is little evidence for pest plant control to increase connectivity, it has potential to increase the native dominance of ecosystems and allow native plants an opportunity to thrive, with provision of more natural habitat and potentially food sources for native species, minimising the spread of pest plants by birds and achieving native biodiversity outcomes.

Pest plant control should occur across the full extent of Upper Harbour, including both on public and private land. Given limited resources, pest plant control should occur first in the priority core habitats and then other core habitats for kererū identified in the forest connectivity model. Upper Harbour residents are encouraged to ‘be a good neighbour’ and get rid of pest plants from their gardens. When removing pest plants from streams and riparian margins, always start up stream, as seeds and rhizomes may be carried downstream.

Target species for control are those listed in the  Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan . If you time and resources are limited, prioritise targeting the worst environmental pest plants, in particular in core habitats and within buffer zones around the modelled linkages for the umbrella species. A shortened, high-priority list of environmental pest plants, and the recommended methods of control for each, is included in  a guide published by Forest & Bird . More information on pest species is provided on the  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau conservation pest search website . See the Useful Links section for links to other handy resources.

Upper Harbour has extensive coastline, scattered wetland/ freshwater ponds, and multiple small streams. First fencing these areas to exclude stock, and then revegetating riparian or buffer zones (i.e. around forest patches, along streambanks, around wetlands, and around estuary/coastal margins) is one of the most effective ways to enhance these valuable habitats.

Linear plantings (a long strip of planting, often along linear features such as stream banks and habitat boundaries) can form ecological corridors utilised by many native species (especially streams and coastal margins). These areas can also act as important habitat depending on the width and vegetation present. Buffer plantings help to reduce edge effects in the central habitat, and can facilitate movement into the surrounding landscape by decreasing the amount of high-resistant landcover. Buffer plantings are generally recommended to be at least 10 m either side (see  Auckland Council’s Wetland Restoration Guide ), although the larger the better to create habitat, and all plants should be eco-sourced (see  Auckland Council Ecosourcing guidelines ). Riparian planting helps to prevent erosion, sediment runoff, filter out pollution prior to entering waterways, and improve both water flows and water quality. 

Wetland and riparian planting in Upper Harbour has potential to create important habitat for inanga. Adult inanga migrate downstream to spawn in vegetation flooded by spring high tides. Spawning sites are typically stream banks covered by tidal freshwater at the upper limit of saltwater influence in dense native and exotic grasses and sedges, however, adults will not deposit eggs on short, grazed pasture. As much of the coastal riparian margin in Upper Harbour is under private ownership, cooperation with landowners is required to create and enhance habitats that support inanga spawning, along with other native species which depend on freshwater habitats in Upper Harbour, such as giant kokapu.

Priority areas for buffer planting are in, and immediately adjacent to, core habitats for mohu-pererū as per the Estuarine Margin Connectivity Model, and core habitats for matuku as per the Wetland Connectivity Model following on-the-ground verification. Pekapeka-tou-roa often use streams and other linear features such as coastal margins and shelterbelts when foraging. Protecting tall, mature trees in these areas, and planting new specimens where appropriate, may also help improve connectivity for this species.

As with any complex restoration project, specialist advice should be sought prior to commencing. Auckland Council’s detailed, step-by-step guide to riparian planting is included in the Useful Links section, along with other helpful resources.

Creating and strengthening functional linkages between core habitats can be achieved using either ecological corridors or stepping stones. Many areas in Upper Harbour are currently undergoing intensive development and urbanisation, and incorporating suitable habitat into these designs will yield great benefit for native species. 

Given limited resources, there are two priorities for creating forest habitat. One, within the buffer zones around current and potential linkages between core patches (yellow and pink lines respectively on the kererū least-cost paths layers). Two, in areas of that are currently difficult for the selected umbrella species to move through (white and red areas of the kererū CWD layer). 

Restoration should occur with an ecosystem focus, in line with the Ecosystem Restoration Guide currently under development by Auckland Council. Replanting plans in these areas must consider the original ecosystem type of that area, plant appropriate species for the context, show a preference for native species, include plant with specific species in mind (e.g. puriri and kowhai as a food sources for kererū, tui, and korimako), be eco-sourced, and adopt a long-term vision (i.e. not just plant species that will mature in 5-10 years).

Privately owned land comprises the majority of landscape separating (and potentially connecting) core habitats. This means everyone has a part to play, and should be encouraged and supported to manage their land as functional habitat, either by enhancing existing habitat through trapping and pest plant control, and/or creating new or supplementary habitat by planting suitable native species. 

Individual landowners can assess opportunities for enhancement on their own land by zooming in on their properties on any of the habitat and connectivity maps. Along with pest animal and pest plant control, landowners can contribute to connectivity by:

• Planting hedgerows and shelterbelts, and using vegetation to enhance fences. These should comprise a range of plant species and ideally be of a complex structure (e.g. trees where possible, shrubs and understory).
• Restoring waterways on their property, with fencing and native riparian planting of complex structure along the length of the waterway.
• Planting native food sources for native birds such as kererū, tui and korimako around the property.

Planting suitable native trees in backyards, and planning developments with a focus on habitat provision, will also help to achieve the objectives of the Urban Ngahere Strategy. 

Expert advice should be sought to select appropriate species for individual locations. Refer to the Useful Links section and the  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau / Conservation Auckland  website for more information on plant species selection, ecosourcing for particular ecosystems, and where to seek more specific advice.

Transport infrastructure is among the largest barriers to movement for most terrestrial species. However, with environmentally friendly planning, roads, walkways, and railways all have potential to become ecological corridors that both facilitate movement between core habitats and provide potential habitat.

Recommendations to transform transport infrastructure into effective ecological corridors include:

• Strips of planting that are as wide as possible, ideally on both sides of the transport route.
• Include ‘nodes’ of larger habitat patches along the ecological corridors, and connect larger habitat patches that exist adjacent or near the route (i.e. ecological corridors that ‘go’ somewhere).
• Planting a diverse range of native plant species, selected, and planted with the purpose of providing for movement of particular native species (e.g. kererū and fantail/ piwakawaka). Plant species should achieve a range of mature sizes and structures (e.g. trees and bushes), infilled as appropriate. Species that also provide food sources for birds such as kererū and tui (i.e. both frugivores and nectar-feeders) should also be considered.
• Seek specific ecological advice for appropriate and effective planting plans for each ecological corridor, based on its particular location and surrounding habitat.

It is crucial that conservation projects are planned with specific goals and species in mind to achieve functional connectivity for specific species, as well as for overall structural connectivity. 

To align with this Strategy, species of focus should include kererū for forest ecosystems, and mohu-pererū for coastal estuarine ecosystems. Actions for other species can also be undertaken, such as for pekapeka-tou-roa or particular threatened species.

Monitoring success is then important to ensure the project is meeting its intended outcomes. Recommended monitoring methods include

• Standard 5-minute bird counts to assess avian diversity and provide an index of abundance for indicator/umbrella species at particular locations throughout Upper Harbour. Native species (diversity and relative abundance) should increase over time.
• All community are encouraged to partake in the annual  Great Kereru Count , usually occurring in the last week of September each year. Observations can be uploaded via the  i-Naturalist website .
• Predator monitoring, such as chew card indices for rats, possums and/or mustelids (particularly in core habitats).
• Other useful project-specific measures, such as area of habitat created/restored.

Refer to the Useful Links section for more information on planning successful restoration projects.

Conservation groups are strongly recommended to add their project to the  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland  website to help identify where gaps are being filled and where further work is still required (Link in the Useful Links section).  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland  also has options to contact groups in your area to help collaboration and if people are interested in joining/connecting.

Click the button below to explore the Interactive Map. It contains community conservation project areas, sites of cultural significance, the results of the connectivity analyses for each umbrella species, and other land cover maps including Wildlink Wonders, SEAs, Auckland Council’s Biodiversity Focus Areas (BFAs), and existing habitat types.

The Interactive Map will open in new window. To explore the Interactive Map, use the menu buttons that will appear on the top left of your screen (see image on the left):

Note these layers are a snapshot of information as at June 2021. Please refer to  Auckland Council’s Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau map  for up-to-date conservation information.

• The top button shows the legend for the layers you are currently viewing.
• The middle button provides a list of all the layers, which you can view by clicking the eye icon next to each layer or group of layers. 
• The bottom button shows information for any feature you click on the map.

Refer to  Auckland Council’s Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau map  for up-to-date conservation information and maps.

Iwi engagement

Before starting any conservation project, it is important to familiarise yourself with the mana whenua of the area you will be working within, and any nearby areas of cultural significance (refer to the Cultural Values layer on the Interactive Map).

•  Engaging with Mana Whenua 
•  Lessons for Successful Mana Whenua Engagement 
•  What is Matauranga Māori? 
•  Māori and Biodiversity 
•  Understanding the World through Whakapapa 
•  Kaitiakitanga 
•  Ngā Rerenga o Te Tiriti (for Community Groups) 
•  Te Tiriti o Waitangi 

The mandated mana whenua for Upper Harbour is Ngāti Manuhiri. Please visit their website or contact  kaitiaki@ngatimanuhiri.iwi.nz  for guidance on how to engage. Also see the  Auckland Council mana whenua directory  for a list of mana whenua and their contact information for your area of interest.

Additional information on the development of the Upper Harbour Ecological Connectivity Strategy:

•  Upper Harbour Ecological Connectivity Strategy Report  (with detailed methods).
•  Linkage Mapper  – connectivity software information

Useful pest animal control resources:

•  Pest animal control guidelines for the Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland  - Simple techniques for maximum success in pest animal control in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.
•  Auckland Council Biosecurity  – Pest plant, pest animal and general biosecurity information on the Auckland Council website
•  Auckland Council Pest Search  - Search for pest organisms in Auckland
•  Predator Free NZ  – collection of useful resources for effective predator (rats, possums and mustelids)
•  DOC's Practical Guide to Trapping  – How-to guides, tools and tips for effective trapping
•  BioNet  – Tools, information and best practice protocols for pest management
• For more specific advice on pest management actions, contact  pestfree@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz 

Useful pest plant control resources:

•  WeedBusters  – information on pest plant identification and control.
•  Forest & Bird Pest Plant Control Guide  – Information sheet on pest plant identification and appropriate control techniques.
•  Guide to ecosourcing plants  - Information of sourcing native plants from local seed for local use

Habitat restoration resources:

•  Auckland Council's Native forest restoration guide  - How to restore forest ecosystems
•  Auckland Council’s Wetland restoration guide  – How to restore wetlands
•  Auckland Council’s riparian planting guide  – How to successfully restore riparian habitat
•  Ecosourcing plants  – Sourcing native plants from local seed for local use
•  Selecting native plant species for Auckland  – A guide to selecting appropriate species for planting
• Auckland Council is currently developing an Ecosystem Restoration Guide for native ecosystems in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. This will be available in January 2022.

Health & Safety:

•  PF2050 Health & Safety guide for staff and volunteers  – General information to help keep everyone safe during predator management activities.
•  Keep Kauri Standing  – General information on kauri dieback on management protocols if you are working in an area with kauri present.

If you have any questions about the Strategy, please email Ellice Protheroe  ellice.protheroe@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz  or Kate Heaphy  kate.heaphy@boffamiskell.co.nz .

This Strategy is a tool to help groups and organisations strategically plan and prioritise conservation actions to improve ecological connectivity. It allows groups to be more specific around the ecosystems and species they are protecting, and maximise the benefits of limited resources (e.g. time and funding) through prioritising areas for management. It can also be used to demonstrate to stakeholders and potential funders how their actions benefit biodiversity as part of a much larger landscape-scale effort.

There are four main ways to use this Strategy:

• Where – To identify areas for conservation action
• What – To identify conservation actions in a particular area
• Who – To identify surrounding conservation groups and engage with mana whenua where required.
• How and why – To aid funding applications and gain support

This Strategy is designed to align with, and be used in conjunction with, existing high priority areas for conservation and other Auckland Council strategic documents, including Significant Ecological Areas, Biodiversity Focus Areas, the Upper Harbour Green Pathways Plan, and the Urban Ngāhere Strategy.

This Strategy is based on a snapshot of ecological connectivity in Upper Harbour as at June 2021, and provides a local level of information to inform Auckland Council’s Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau website. Refer to the Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau website for up-to-date conservation information and maps, including updated community group locations.

Ideally, conservation actions (in particular predator and pest plant control) should be undertaken across the full extent of Upper Harbour for maximum biodiversity benefit. However, given limited resources (e.g. time and money) recommended priorities have been identified for each ecosystem.

Refer to the table of recommended management priorities in the Management Actions section. Use this table alongside the Interactive Map (see menu across top of page), which contains all relevant maps, to identify priority areas for management. Different map layers can be turned on and zoomed-in on to provide different information:

• Priority areas (as listed in the table) can be seen by viewing Core Habitats for each ecosystem (forests, wetlands, and estuarine margin). Given limited resources, Core Habitats with the highest number of connections can be prioritised (Core Habitats are colour-coded by number of connections).
• Core Habitats can also be prioritised by those that contain SEAs, BFAs, and Wildlink Wonders (click on any Core Habitats of interest to see to see its number of connections, and whether it contains an SEA, BFA, and/or a Wildlink Wonder). The SEA, BFA, and Wildlink Wonders layers (listed under ‘Land Cover Layers’) can also be turned on to overlay Core Habitats in the Interactive Map.
• Linkages between Core Habitats (the second Priority Objective for forest ecosystems) can be seen by clicking on the Least Cost Paths (LCPs) layer for each ecosystem. Actions to improve connectivity should be undertaken within a buffer either side of these linkages, which can be viewed in the LCP buffers layer.
• Areas currently of high resistance (the third Priority Objective for forest ecosystems) can be viewed by clicking on the Cost Weighted Distance (CWD) layer.

Refer to the table in the Management Actions Summary section for a list of recommended management actions within each prioritised area, for each ecosystem. The Management Actions section contains more detail and practical advice on undertaking the recommended actions. A range of resources are also provided in the Useful Links sections. 

A section is also included on planning and delivering projects effectively, which includes a flow diagram on defining the goal/objective, selecting an area and action(s), and measures of success. Note the selected 'umbrella species' for each ecosystem are not necessarily 'indicator species' of the success of management actions. As it is not possible to model connectivity for all species, umbrella species were those selected to represent broad ecosystem types, and actions undertaken to protect the modelled habitats will have overarching benefits for both the ecosystem and the many other species that inhabit it. Depending on the project, other indicators could include brown teal/pāteke for wetland health, or inanga for freshwater habitats.

Community groups are shown on the Interactive Map, as at June 2021. This shows how existing, new, or potential conservation groups and projects are (or could) contribute to connectivity in the wider region. Refer to the Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau / Conservation Auckland website for up-to-date information on group locations, such as if you are considering expansion or alignment of groups/projects; or to identify where there are gaps that need conservation action.

All conservation projects are encouraged to add their project to the Auckland Council database, by filling out the survey form in the Add a Project section.

This Strategy is a powerful engagement and communication tool for community groups and conservation organisations to learn about areas of interest and adopt a wider landscape-scale perspective.

If you are applying for funding to support conservation work, or trying to rally your community, you are able to take screenshots of the relevant map layers and adapt wording from anywhere in this Strategy document to create project-specific goals and communicate the wider benefits (e.g. by demonstrating that pest control in even a small local reserve is beneficial to provide a stepping-stone habitat).

The Strategy aims to empower people to know more about their site of interest to contribute to the bigger picture, and identify the environmental impacts of their work (e.g. protecting endangered ecosystems, protecting habitat for endangered and/or native species, improve landscape connectivity, with a focus on the bigger picture).

When preparing a funding application, groups can use this Strategy to be more specific about the ecosystem(s) and/or species they are protecting, and the ecological function they are restoring (e.g. providing connectivity for species currently there such as kereru, and species that will require high levels of effort before they may be more readily observed, such as matuku, pekapeka-tou-roa and tomtit).

Auckland Council: This Strategy can help to inform and guide where Council-led environmental management should take place to achieve landscape-scale restoration objectives. It can be used to engage with new and existing conservation groups, and ensure a cohesive approach to get the maximum biodiversity benefit from available resources.

Upper Harbour Local Board: This Strategy is a tool that can be used by the Local Board to inform environmental investment in Local Parks. This includes identifying strategic projects for funding that work towards achieving landscape connectivity and facilitate communication between the Local Board, community, and Council. Refer to the table of recommended management objectives and areas for an ordered list of priorities, that can be used to compare proposed conservation projects for funding.

Existing community conservation groups: This Strategy can be used to strategically expand conservation activities, apply for funding, and effectively communicate the groups’ objectives by identifying priority areas and specific actions within those priority areas. It can also be used to inform funding applications by demonstrating the impact of the proposed conservation work and its landscape-scale biodiversity benefits.

New community conservation groups: This Strategy can be used to plan strategic conservation activities, support funding applications, and gain volunteer support, by identifying priority areas and specific actions within those priority areas, with objectives that incorporate a landscape-scale approach. When beginning or expanding activity in a new area, first look at removing core pressures on core habitats, and add the project to the to the Auckland Council database. Volunteers can use the directory on the  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau / Conservation Auckland website  to identify nearby groups to join or contact.

Please fill out Auckland Council’s  community group survey form  if you would like to add your conservation project, group, or area to Auckland Council’s Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation database (survey form opens in a new window). Your responses will help to fill in and identify remaining gaps between projects. 

Note the layers in this Strategy provide a snapshot of community activity as at June 2021. Refer to Refer to Auckland Council’s  Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau map  for up-to-date conservation project locations.

Thank you for joining the growing and connected conservation community in Upper Harbour!