The Tōtara for Tōtaranui Project is a community initiative based on the desire to conserve the Marlborough Sounds by protecting, restoring and enhancing the land and the sea for future generations and educating people why this is important.
This is being achieved by bringing together multiple work streams to design and implement integrated catchment management plans for the benefit of all. It is a team effort, and we work with landowners, iwi, volunteers, contractors, scientists, tourism operators and government agencies to coordinate activities to gain efficiencies.
This is a practical project which will enable us to offer environmental education and training to our younger generation, assistance to landowners and corporate or private conservationists by involving them in the removal of pest species and restoration of the local ecosystem.
We are lucky in the Marlborough Sounds to have some native species which call the area home such as the endangered King Shag / Kawau a toru and Hector’s Dolphin / Tūpoupou. Some of the islands in the Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui are predator free and provide protected areas for species like the Rowi Kiwi, Little Penguins / Kororā, New Zealand Parakeet (Kākāriki) and South Island Saddleback / Tīeke.
