News

The Environmental Defence Society has published a new book called “Sustainable Seas” . It retails for $49.95 + p&p. Raewyn Peart, who spoke at our conference recently, is one of its authors. For more details and to order go here.

There are also many other books on coastal issues in their shop.

Over the last 2 years the Coastal Restoration Trust has been developing an on-line coastal dune ecosystem literature database with a focus on NZ references. Some had  a trial run on a prototype of this at our Whitianga Conference, which allowed a range of representatives from councils, Department of Conservation, NGO’s and the Coast Care community members to provide feedback. The project is funded by the Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Information System (TFBIS) Programme administered by the Department of Conservation with support from members and research partners of the Coastal Restoration Trust. Read more here.

Access the database here.

The Coastal Restoration Trust has recently initiated a project to develop national community-based guidelines for monitoring coastal sand dunes and restoration programmes. The aim is to provide Coastcare groups and managing agencies with scientifically robust, easy-to-use guidelines for quantifying the status of their dunes and to determine whether restoration outcomes are meeting objectives. The 3-year project is funded by the Ministry for the Environment’s Community Environment Fund with cofunding and support from the Coastal Restoration Trust and its research partners including councils, the Department of Conservation and Coast Care groups.

Check out the full details here and see if your group can get involved.

The 2015 Conference at Whitianga provided several very interesting field trips, including dunes at Whangapoua that had been planted recently following physical earthworks. This involved the use of machinery to remove the predominantly exotic vegetation cover, comprising species such as agapanthus, yucca, and blackberry, as well as the top layer of sand (with the weed seedbank). Replanting was done using spinifex and pingao on the foredune, with wiwi and pōhuehue further back.

However, it is noteworthy that although these sites have been weed-infested, they also nevertheless harbour a relatively diverse range of indigenous plant species, including some species such as Zoysia pauciflora that are now uncommon or even absent from large sections of the New Zealand coast.

One way to avoid the loss of these species from sites where physical works are to be undertaken would be to undertake a pre-works botanical survey to identify the indigenous species present at each particular site.  Plants of interest could then be dug out, stored nearby and then replanted at the site when clearing has been completed.

Full text of article and more photos available here.

Thanks to Sarah Beadel of Wildlands Consultants for this article.

Christchurch’s recent beach erosion was reduced due to 20 years of  dune restoration planting by Coastal Ranger, Jason Roberts.

The earthquakes may have passed but coastal erosion is still with us in Christchurch. If you go down to the beach today, after the recent spectacular stormy seas, you’ll see some significant  dune erosion in places such as at Spencer Park beach, and some fully vegetated and stable dunes in others, such as the pictured South Brighton beach. Same day, different management input.

The first line of defence, and the cheapest insurance policy, against such storms is having healthy functioning and managed sand dune systems in place. The stable dunes pictured at South New Brighton, have a full face of sand binding Spinifex in place, trapping sand and being a natural buffer. Without our history of 20 years of persistent Dune Restoration plantings by the community and facilitated  by committed CCC coastal park rangers such as Jason Roberts, we could well see all our dunes looking like those also still found today just north of Spencer Park, with the 4-5m cut scarp.

Keep up the great work, Jason!