South-EAStERn plAin REpoRtinG AREA Manurewa, Includes Howick, Mangere-Otahuhu,

Otara-Papatoetoe and Papakura local boards

JulY 2012

GRADE

StAtE oF AuCKlAnD

tERREStRiAl REpoRt CARD

whAt mAKES up thiS GRADE?
Reporting areas have been assigned a grade of A-F, based on the amount of indigenous ecosystems (including forest, scrub, and freshwater and saltwater wetlands) within the reporting area. Plantation forests also contributed a small amount to the biodiversity grade for each reporting area.

QuiCK FACtS
The Kauri foresT ThaT once covered around

26,800
hECtARES in SizE

The reporTing area is approximaTely

1.6% 1.1% 0.3% 10.3% 30.2%

of The whole board reporTing area is now almosT non-exisTenT (less Than 0.01% cover)

50%

DiSCovERED in KiRKS BuSh in 1966 AnD iS Known in onlY A hAnDFul oF othER AuCKlAnD loCAtionS
monitoRinG SitES South-EAStERn plAin REpoRtinG AREA

The rare orchid Danhatchi australis was

South-EAStERn plAin lAnD CovER

2.3% 54.2%

Coastal and estuarine ecosystems Urban cover including parkland Lakes and freshwater wetlands Exotic vegetation (pasture, shelter belts, gorse etc.) Exotic production forestry Native forest Native scrub

The information for this grade has been sourced from the Ministry for the Environments Land Cover Database 2 (LCDB2) a national database. Future terrestrial biodiversity report cards will be based on Auckland Councils comprehensive biodiversity monitoring programme. The programme measures native plants and animals, weeds and pests in more than 600 different wetland, forest and scrub locations throughout the region. Results from this programme will be available for reporting from 2013.

Legend Terrestrial reporting area Plot type Wetland Forest

The south-eastern plain reporting area includes MangereOtahuhu, Howick, Manurewa, Papakura and Otara-Papatoetoe Local Boards, which collectively comprise the flat, relatively fertile plains to the south and east of the city. More recent volcanic landforms of the Auckland volcanic field are also present along the Tamaki Estuary and in the MangerePapatoetoe area. Land cover in this area has been heavily modified by human activity in the past 150 years, and very little (approx 3%) native vegetation remains. The northern and western parts of this reporting area are largely urban (approx 54% total cover) while the east and south has a long history of farming,

given its rich volcanic soils, with most native vegetation having been cleared for agricultural purposes (approx 30% of total cover). Estuarine habitats are the most common native vegetation (approx 10%), most of which is located in major watercourses (e.g. Waimahia, Puhinui and Waokauri creeks) and along the long, convoluted harbour and estuary coastlines. These estuarine areas are home to migrant and native bird species, several of which are threatened. Native forest and scrub, once the most widespread land cover in this area, has been reduced to a few small, scattered fragments and most freshwater wetlands have been drained.

KEY BioDivERSitY SitE

KiRKS BuSh, pApAKuRA

Comprising 6.9 hectares, Kirks Bush is one of Aucklands finest examples of the mature native lowland forest that would have been common in pre-human times. It is the largest forest of its type remaining in the South-Eastern Plain Reporting Area. Situated in the middle of suburban Papakura, this reserve is of major botanical interest as it contains one of the few relicts of lowland forest in Auckland that was not modified by burning or logging. Its striking feature is the presence of many large hardwood tree species of which taraire is by far the most dominant (mature specimens are considered to be around 200 years old in this site). Weeds are a constant problem in the reserve, although the work carried out by the Friends of Kirks Bush has kept most of these weeds at low levels.

Kirks Bush

FinD out moRE

This report card is part of a series prepared by the Auckland Councils Research, Investigations and Monitoring Unit, which undertakes monitoring and research to provide information and evidence to inform the councils activities and reporting. Aucklands environment must be healthy and resilient in order to support life and lifestyle. More report cards can be found at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/stateofauckland. The report card series includes reporting on freshwater, air, marine, demographics and quality of life. For more information, e-mail monitoring@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or call us on 09 301 0101.

GEt involvED
Auckland Council provides more than 20 environmental programmes across the region for you to get involved with and improve your local environment.
For more information: on how to get involved, go to www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/stateofauckland
These report cards are printed using vegetable based inks and environmentally responsible papers from sustainable forests, and is manufactured under the strict ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

RIMU-1009-08/12_AC1197

CuRREnt EColoGiCAl ContExt