About.

The site is a high-priority biodiversity management area and home to over 60 endangered or at-risk fauna and flora species including great spotted kiwi, whio (blue duck), kaka, bittern, kea, westland petrel, fernbird, and rare land snails and weta.

The boundary has sea or river protection for 96% of its length, providing natural barriers to predator re-invasion. Nearly all the boundary is accessible by road. Because of these values and attributes it has been identified by Predator Free 2050 as a priority New Zealand mainland site.

The site attracts over 500,000 visitors annually and contains the Paparoa Track Great Walk. About half of the West Coast population lives in, or directly adjacent to, the Paparoa site.

The Paparoa backcountry has had ongoing large-scale aerial predator control operations for the past decade by the Department of Conservation and TbFree. This project, if successful, would see the end of large-scale aerial poisoning work to control possums, rats and stoats in the Paparoa Range.

The project will benefit local and national tourism, local communities through job creation, Iwi aspirations, the NZ biodiversity Strategy and Tbfree NZ and Department of Conservation goals. Its success would make a significant contribution to the national Predator Free 2050 project.

The Kawatiri Nature Environment and Communities Trust

The Kawatiri Nature Environment and Communities Trust (KNECT) instigated the project with the aim to restore and protect the wildlife of the Paparoa and support the local communities into a sustainable future.

Funding

There are a range of potential funding sources including the national Predator Free 2050 program, local and national organisations, carbon and biodiversity credits, philanthropy, and international nature funding bodies.

Existing Projects

We hope to build on the the work of the many community groups and individuals and organisations are already working to control predators in Paparoa including; Paparoa Wildlife Trust, Coast Road Dawn Chorus, Department of Conservation, Motukiekie Shakedown, West Coast Penguin Trust, Cobden Aromahana Sanctuary... along with many others.