Nelson bush protected

Forest and Bird, Issue 265, 1 August 1992, Page 9

Nelson bush protected

AN IMPORTANT piece of coastal forest near Nelson has been saved because of a joint effort between Forest and Bird’s Nelson branch, the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust and the landowners. The 120-hectare block of native forest which stretches around the coast from the Boulder Bank to Cable Bay had been used as a walkway for many years, and the farmers who own the land, Ian and Barbara Stuart, wanted to protect it. Earle Norriss from the Nelson Branch had met Barbara the year before and they discussed the idea of placing a covenant on the land.

The new reserve hosts a range of plant communities including beech and kamahi forest on the drier slopes, and podocarp and tawa forest in the gullies. There is not much forest in Nelson along the coast and this block is easily accessible to Nelson residents. The trust agreed to place a covenant against the title, thus protecting the bush in perpetuity. The major cost involved fencing three sides of the block. This is normally paid half by the trust and half by the landowner. In this case the Nelson Branch came to the party, providing $7,000 to cover the Stuarts’ share of the costs.