Imagine this tiny bird, the mōhua, as a real forest celebrity! It's like the VIP of the South Island and Stewart Island forests, but sadly, it's been facing some tough times lately. Due to habitat loss and some pesky predators like stoats and rats, its numbers have dwindled to just 5,000–20,000 individuals.

But fear not! In swoops the Forest and Bird's Central Otago Lakes branch with their superhero volunteers! These amazing folks have been on a 25-year mission to save the mōhua population at Makarora in Mt Aspiring National Park. They've got a whole trap setup with over 1,300 traps and a squad of 50+ volunteers, all backed up by the awesome Southern Lakes Sanctuary.

Read more about the Makarora trapping projects

And guess what? They've got some serious upgrades, like those 'Monster' rat traps that came just in time for a rat party in 2023. Talk about a rat invasion! But thanks to these new traps and the hard work of the volunteers, the mōhua birds are still chirping away.

So, while the mōhua might have had a few bumps in the road, it looks like they've got a great support team keeping them safe. Go team mōhua!

Learn more about our ECO Fund

The Open Valley Urban Ecosanctuary secured funding as one of eleven exciting projects! They're launching a 'Backyard Ecosanctuaries' program that invites everyone to boost biodiversity in their own spaces and nearby public areas. It's all about learning and sharing knowledge about our natural world right where we live.

This initiative not only celebrates Otago's unique environment but also creates a vital habitat corridor linking Orokonui Ecosanctuary to broader Dunedin. They're thrilled to inspire more folks to embrace biodiversity and to see communities come together to share skills and knowledge.

Learn more about the Open Valley Urban Ecosanctuary (Open VUE)