Brook Waimarama Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary is a 700 hectare mainland “ecological island
” sanctuary located in Nelson, New Zealand
. It was created in 2004 with the intent of restoring the local populations of pre-European flora and fauna which have been ravaged by introduced mammalian predators. Invasion by introduced weeds also poses a threat. The sanctuary may also be used in the future as a site where endangered species from elsewhere in New Zealand may be protected. The sanctuary is open to the public and encourages visitors.
From inception a predator-proof fence has been planned with the intent of allowing complete eradication of the predator population (mammals) and the prevention of re-invasion. A trapping programme commenced in 2006 aimed at possums, rats, mice, stoats and weasels.
Altitudes in the sanctuary vary from 100m to just over 800m.
Ecological island
An ecological island is not necessarily an island surrounded by water, but is an area of land, isolated by natural or artificial means from the surrounding land, where a natural micro-habitat exists amidst a larger differing ecosystem....
” sanctuary located in Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. It was created in 2004 with the intent of restoring the local populations of pre-European flora and fauna which have been ravaged by introduced mammalian predators. Invasion by introduced weeds also poses a threat. The sanctuary may also be used in the future as a site where endangered species from elsewhere in New Zealand may be protected. The sanctuary is open to the public and encourages visitors.
From inception a predator-proof fence has been planned with the intent of allowing complete eradication of the predator population (mammals) and the prevention of re-invasion. A trapping programme commenced in 2006 aimed at possums, rats, mice, stoats and weasels.
Altitudes in the sanctuary vary from 100m to just over 800m.
Further reading
- Bell, Jacquetta (2008) Returning Nature to the Nelson Region: The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Nikau Press 32 p. ISBN 0958289808, 9780958289801
See also
- Biodiversity of New ZealandBiodiversity of New ZealandThe biodiversity of New Zealand, a large Pacific archipelago, is one of the most unusual on Earth, due to its long isolation from other continental landmasses. Its affinities are derived from Gondwana, from which it separated 82 million years ago, New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island, both of which...