The 940 hectares of the Pukaha Mount Bruce reserve is the last remaining remnant of the once-famous 70 Mile Bush that teemed with birds and was alive with song.

Just ten years ago, this much-reduced forest was completely silent.

So we decided to do something about it. In the last decade, the dedicated team at Pukaha Mount Bruce has doubled the number of native birds year on year.

So, bird-song is returning to Pukaha Mount Bruce in dramatic increments because the restoration programme is working.

How are we doing that?

We made a conscious decision not to hide the birds on islands or barricade them behind predator-proof fences.  This means we have to deploy an aggressive pest control programme to stay on top of introduced mammalian predators such as; stoats, weasels, ferrets, rats, feral dogs, feral cats, feral goats and possums.

To date we have won a hard fought battle with the feral cats, dogs, goats and possums.  This has allowed the forest floor and canopy to start regenerating - creating a healthy place for our native birds and animals to reside. 

As we are not fenced, we have an ongoing and aggressive pest programme against stoats, weasels, ferrets and rats.

It includes maintaining:

• 130kms of trap lines
• 1000 bait stations for possums and rats
• 500 traps for feral stoats and ferrets

We have pest control rangers out in the forest all the time - checking and clearing traps.  It is hard, dirty, repetitive and laborious.  But we have to do it.

The equations is simple - more bush, fewer pests, louder birdsong.

A strighforward, practical solution.