Landowners Uniting To Bring Kiwi Back To Their Communities (With Matu Booth)

Landscape-scale conservation projects are a key part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity future.They connect the many localised community efforts, passionate landowners and patches of remnant forest to achieve much wider-reaching conservation outcomes.When we unite these smaller, seperate activities into catchment-wide, inclusive initiatives, the possibilities are endless…Enter: ⁠The Forest Bridge Trust⁠ (TFBT).The vision for TFBT started in 2013 when founders Kevin and Gill Adshead reintroduced kiwi to their family farm in Glorit, Rodney. They quickly realised that for these flightless birds to thrive, they would require a massive 10,000-hectare predator-controlled habitat. This was no small feat, but Kevin and Gill had an even grander vision.They dreamed of the west coast kiwi on their farm eventually being able to reconnect with their counterparts in Tāwharanui Regional Park on the east coast.To make this happen, they would need to protect at least 54,000 hectares of land to create interconnected forest corridors.Most of this land is privately owned by farmers, mana whenua and lifestyle blocks, which requires a different approach to doing conservation on public land.This podcast episode explores the success story of TFBT and what it’s like to do large-scale conservation on private land.Here are some of the things we discussed:The evolution of TFBT from an ambitious dream into a team of 26 people with immense community support.The phenomenal impact that 5 years of ⁠Jobs For Nature⁠ funding via ⁠Save The Kiwi⁠ had on accelerating their vision.How kiwi are such a great flagship species to inspire action.Why it’s so important to meet people on their level and appeal to their priorities and interests rather than ‘telling’ them what they need to do.The importance of focusing on biodiversity gains.How conservation brings the community together.Why lasting conservation success needs to start with igniting curiosity.And so much more…👩About Matu:Matu Booth is the Operations Manager for ⁠The Forest Bridge Trust⁠. Since the beginning of his conservation career in 2000, Matu has also worked with Zealandia⁠ and managed the ⁠Nga Manu Nature Reserve⁠. He's been involved in the translocation of many native birds, tuatara and frogs, and has run education and engagement programmes. As Matu’s career has progressed, he has gained a growing appreciation for the importance of encouraging curiosity to get more people passionate about conservation. His team believes that sustaining large-scale restoration initiatives is as much a social change movement as it is a conservation project.🔗Learn more about TFBT: ⁠www.theforestbridgetrust.org.nz⁠🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org