A project helping to protect native birdlife in Mohi Bush is also giving local students hand-on experience in pest management and environmental monitoring.
The Rodent Control Project at Mohi Bush near Maraetotara, which recently received funding from the Pan Pac Environmental Trust (PPET), is jointly run by the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC). It aims to reduce rodent numbers in Mohi Bush, aiding the breeding of key native species such as the Toutouwai (NZ Robin) and Titipounamu (Rifleman), Aotearoa’s smallest bird.
EIT Environmental Management Lecturer Chris Thorman said Mohi Bush has been without pest control for approximately the last 5 years, leaving the native bird species that were reintroduced to the area during a previous project vulnerable. Now, a large number of rats were raiding the nests of birds like the Toutouwai and Titipounamu.
“Both of those two birds are very susceptible to rats predating their nesting sites and chicks,” Chris said.
That made Mohi Bush the perfect location for a pest control programme and an ideal training ground for students, who are getting practical experience setting and monitoring bait stations, traps and tunnel traps.
“We teamed up with Natalie de Burgh from HBRC and the two of us developed the idea of a real authentic learning experience for students to carry out the pest control and monitoring as part of their Environmental Management studies.”
PPET funding of $4,770 has gone towards equipment needed for the project such as bait, tunnel traps, PPE, and monitoring gear. That has helped HBRC and the students service pre-set monitoring, bait and trap lines, which they will monitor regularly throughout the semester.
Pictured: EIT Environmental Management students Rilee and Jess refilling a bait station at Mohi Bush.
*This project is one of eleven local projects funded by PPET in 2024. The Trust was established by in 2019 by Pan Pac Forest Products Limited, a sustainable integrated forest products company based in Hawke’s Bay. Through PPET, Pan Pac contributes up to $100,000 per annum towards projects that benefit the environment and culture of Hawke’s Bay.
