Ashworths Beach rich coastline

This week is Conservation Week.

Here in Hurunui there’s plenty of great things happening when it comes to lending a helping hand to our environment.

This week we’re covering some stories of what’s happening in our own backyard.

Last weekend a guided walk along Ashworths Beach was enjoyed by a few local conservation enthusiasts.

The biodiversity nestled in the seams of this coastline is huge, but unknown by many.

Last Sunday, Northern Pegasus Bay Coast Care Group (NPBCCG) member Kevin Roche and Hurunui District Council’s Water and Land Coordinator Rima Herber hosted a guided walk amongst the Hurunui District’s side of the Ashley Estuary.

This area hosts several rare native bird and plant species including sebaea ovata, a flowering herb which is now fence-protected thanks to the efforts of NPBCCG.

The Group focuses on predator reduction, a constant threat to the ground-nesting birds. More than 40 traps are monitored along the coastal area, with the aim of protecting the birds and lizards which live and breed at the beach and in the ponds behind the dunes.

Its volunteers protect existing native flora and fauna with predator trapping and fencing, do restoration planting, and advocate for environmentally appropriate recreational use of this popular but vulnerable coastal zone.

“Most of the participants last Sunday hadn’t spent time at the beach before, and those that had were interested to learn about the rare plants and the efforts by the NPBCCG to protect these,” said Rima.

She added that rabbits and vehicles are the main threats to the plants, with vehicle damage to the dune system a great concern.

“NPBCCG recently acquired Environment Canterbury funding to fence areas to prevent damage to this fragile ecosystem, which is great.”