Current Projects at Tui Nature Reserve

Ongoing projects for 2011/2012 :

• setting up a charitable Trust to promote conservation
• upgrading the ongoing pest management to neighbouring land
• we are working on an educational program with the New Zealand universities
• organizing an Open Day for college students from the Marlborough area
• upgrading protective housing for Giant Weta
• building of a predator diverting fence on the neck of the peninsula

Conservation Park Tui Nature Reserve is well on the way to restore 42 hectare native bush, in the Outer Pelorus of the Marlborough Sounds. The bush is flourishing and the bird numbers are definitely up! This year we started the second stage of our project.

Plan is to boost the numbers of native common Geckos and Skinks and the Giant Weta. We have build safe enclosures in the reserve to breed species for educational benefits and for future release either on the reserve or other local predator free areas. This stage of our project, is in line with our vision to create a completely restored 'mainland island' with its original wildlife.

A fence will be build, to protect a part of the reserve from wild pigs and together with cooperative neighbours, a future predator fence would have the potential to protect the whole peninsula. With this in mind we can start at a later stage a release program, for the newly bred animals.

Meanwhile we will use the enclosures for display and educational purposes. All capture, holding and potential release of the reptiles will be under licence of the Department of Conservation.

We are also part of the official Conservation Dogs Programme of the Department of Conservation. We have four young specially bred dogs that are being trained to find rats and stoats. The dogs are a cross between the Fox Terrier and Border Terrier.