A new regional partnership between Southern Discoveries and the Department of Conservation (DOC) will see $30,000 per year go towards vital conservation work in Piopiotahi/Milford Sound.
The Queenstown-based tourism operator, which runs tours and cruises in Milford Sound, has entered a new five-year partnership to assist DOC in expanding its predator control and species protection efforts in the Cleddau Valley alongside Milford Sound in Te Rua-o-te-Moko/Fiordland.
DOC principal ranger Elicia Milne said the partnership would strengthen conservation outcomes in a nationally important area.
“The Cleddau Valley is one of Fiordland’s key wildlife sanctuaries and is part of the Northern Fiordland Whio Security Site, New Zealand’s largest priority site for protecting and growing whio populations,” she said.
Whio are a native species found only in New Zealand and are currently classified as nationally vulnerable. Nesting female whio are particularly at risk from predators such as stoats and possums.
‘It is also one of the few deer‑free valleys in the region, which means there is a lush understorey that supports threatened and taonga species, including whio, kiwi, kea, rock wren, pekapeka, and kākā.”
Sponsorship funds will be used for managing existing traps and expanding trap lines in the Tutoko and Gulliver valleys. The project will also involve field officers conducting whio surveys, utilising helicopters and contractors to check remote trap lines, and continuing efforts to eradicate rabbits in Milford Sound village.
Southern Discoveries CEO Kerry Walker says the partnership reflects the company’s commitment to helping protect the environment in which it operates.
“Milford Sound is a special place, and protecting the wildlife and forests around it is essential to its future. This partnership ensures we can support DOC’s conservation work that is making a tangible difference,” says Walker.
“We know from DOC that these programmes work, and are particularly effective for species like whio and kiwi.”
The partnership will also support collaboration between DOC and Southern Discoveries for education and awareness opportunities and in time, will involve Southern Discoveries team members getting out into the field when possible.
“We can share our knowledge and experiences with the visitors who travel with us, and raise awareness and promote ongoing conservation in this critically important part of New Zealand.”
Milne says that no single site is responsible for species survival on its own, but these types of projects are vital for the preservation of native species.
“Monitoring of areas where stoat control occurs clearly shows its benefit, with increases in whio breeding success, and up to 60% improvement in kiwi chick survival. This work has a real impact. Piopiotahi is a place of natural and cultural significance, and it is vitally important that we do all we can to protect it.”
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