Tōtara Reserve is a valuable remnant of the indigenous forest which used to blanket the entire valleys of the Pohangina, Ōroua and Rangitīkei rivers. This remnant is home to a wide range of indigenous plants and animals, but also a number of introduced pests. Control of these pests is required to protect the remaining forest from further biodiversity loss. Horizons Regional Council currently spends almost a third of Tōtara Reserve’s operating budget on pest control.

We currently have minimal monitoring of biodiversity in the forest, with the exception of five-yearly habitat assessments, occasional bat recording and bird counts.

Doing more monitoring of native plant and animal species to increase our knowledge of what lives in the reserve would mean we would be better able to protect it.

A recent evaluation of the forest health suggested longer-term goals could be explored for investment to truly enrich the biodiversity and ecosystem values of the reserve. Significant scoping and discussion with relevant partners and private landowners would be needed before any of these could be investigated for implementation, or additional funding sought.