Growing Interest in Pet-free Housing Subdivisions

Forest and Bird, Issue 303, 1 February 2002, Page 5

Growing Interest in Pet-free Housing Subdivisions

qH orest and Bird’s initiative to encourage wildlifefriendly conditions near ecologically sensitive areas is catching on with local councils, landowners and developers. Early wildlife-friendly areas were advanced by Forest and Bird’s Upper Coromandel Branch through their conservation officer of the time, Basil Graeme. They succeeded in banning introduced animals and pest plants from the Mahakirau Forest Estate, a subdivision of large, forested lifestyle blocks, home to kiwi and Hochstetter’s frogs. In the Far North, Michael Winch and Linda Conning promoted dog-free subdivisions which protected kiwi from the family dog. Wildlife-friendly subdivisions now occur in Northland, Hauraki Islands, the Coromandel peninsula, Kapiti and Wellington. Now the idea has reached our cities — in September last year a new wildlife-friendly area was announced within a kilometre of the Wellington central business district. The goal of wildlife-friendly areas is to reduce the impacts of domestic pets on native wildlife. More and more, houses are being built beside vulnerable ecosystems like native forests and sand dunes where shore birds nest. In these circumstances, abstaining from pet ownership acknowledges the value and pleasure of living alongside nature. Five years ago, Ann and Basil Graeme wrote about the new wildlife-friendly concept in Forest e Bird magazine ("Ecosubdivisions: living without cats and dogs, February 1997). Now Forest and Bird, as pioneer of the process, is being approached by landowners and developers asking for assistance in protecting the wildlife and habitat on their land.

Wildlife-friendly subdivisions can be established when landowners or developers protect natural values by placing a covenant on the land title. Usually, this prohibits cats, dogs and ferrets from the land. Some covenants also prevent the introduction of certain invasive plants, and require pest and weed control or prevent the clearing of native vegetation. Wildlife-friendly covenants also give developers the opportunity to attract conservation-minded buyers. The developers of Opara Estate in Northland advertised by highlighting its conservation covenants, the regenerating habitat and the native wildlife of the estate. In a recent development at Kaiwharawhara in Wellington City, developers have recognised benefits in protecting wildlife. The subdivision is in a zoned ‘bird corridor’ near to the Karori Sanctuary, where native birds including kiwi, bellbirds and

whiteheads are being reintroduced. Forest and Bird’s Wellington branch approached the developers and suggested making the subdivisions wildlife-friendly. The developers investigated the idea themselves and agreed to place covenants on the titles prohibiting cats and mustelids. The wildlife-friendly concept has come a long way in the last five years, and new challenges lie ahead. "The wildlife-friendly concept should not be seen as a threat by cat and dog lovers, according to

Forest and Bird’s biosecurity specialist, Karli Thomas. ‘Only special wildlife areas warrant this status and it offers a choice for people who wish to live with native wildlife, undisturbed by cats and dogs. "To this end it would be helpful if provision were made for wildlife-friendly standards in District Council plans, Karli Thomas says. ‘As acceptance grows, Forest and Bird would like to see existing communities next to important wildlife habitats become

wudlfe-friendly.

STAFF