Sometimes, a very effective nursery species for natural native forest regeneration is an exotic dead plantation! In this episode I rejoin Bob Webster and Carol Jensen above Little River on Banks Peninsula to find out about the technique of frilling and how they used it to tackle three dense macrocarpa plantations with the help of some running mates. What is frilling? And how and why does it work? Listen in to find out! This episode of Rewilding in Action is kindly supported by the Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust. For more information go to www.roddonaldtrust.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Would you love to buy land to rewild back to native forest but don’t think you’ll be able to afford it until you’re close to retirement? In this episode I visit the Banks Peninsula property of my guests Bob Webster and Carol Jensen who purchased land when in their 60s. Listen in to find out about the benefits of good monitoring, registering for carbon credits, and the fascinating role of old tree stumps and road margins for natural regeneration. This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by the Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust. For more information go to www.roddonaldtrust.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Exotic woody weeds such as sycamore can lead to the permanent replacement of a native ecosystem with a exotic one. Sometimes however, woody weeds can act as a nursery species for natives to grow through. Under what conditions does this happen? And with what exotic species? My guest weed ecologist Dr Kate McAlpine shares her research and knowledge about natural native forest regeneration through woody weeds. This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by the Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust. For more information go to www.roddonaldtrust.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

24 - The Moa - Impacts of missing keystone species - Nine species of moa, giant flightless birds, once dominated every part of New Zealand. What effect did their rapid extinction just 500-600 years ago have and how is their loss still affecting rewilding ecosystems today? And - can we really bring them back? Join me, Maureen Howard to find out, as I chat with my guest Quinn Berentson, author of The Moa: The Life and Death of New Zealand’s Legendary Bird. This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Carey’s Bay Hotel. For more information go to www.careysbayhotel.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

You don’t need hectares of land to rewild! Rewilding can go as small as you like and the urban garden is a perfect example. Join me, Maureen Howard as I chat with my guest, insect behavioural ecologist Dr Jenny Jandt, in her garden to chat about how her intentionally wild garden is benefitting the growing invertebrate population living there. If you’re looking for a worthwhile reason to do less work in your garden, listen in to find out more! This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Bin Inn Dunedin. For more information go to www.bininn.co.nz. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Show 22 - Protected Forever - One key thing that the landowners I’ve interviewed so far on Rewilding in action have in common is an open space QEII covenant on their land. Join me, Maureen Howard as I chat with my guest Dr Cathy Rufaut, a Regional Representative from QEII. Find out what this type of covenant is and the options out there, the benefits of a QEII covenant over other covenant types and what QEII is able to provide in the current economic climate. This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Bin Inn Dunedin. For more information go to www.bininn.co.nz/otago/dunedin . This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Is your garden ready for a kākā visit? With increased predator control across Dunedin we are starting to experience more native birds, including kākā, in our backyards. Join Maureen Howard, as she visits with Communications and Advocacy Lead Taylor Davies-Colley at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Listen in to find out - how we can live well with kākā, the benefits of big old trees - native or exotic, and why having a 1000 year plan is a perfect timeline for successful rewilding. This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Bin Inn Dunedin. For more information go to www.bininn.co.nz/otago/dunedin This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Rewilding requires ecological corridors to connect ecologically significant habitats. However in urban areas, native forest remnants are often isolated from one another, surrounded by multiple landowners. Join Maureen Howard, as she chats with her guests Rachel Gibb and Ursula Ellenberg from Ravensbourne - where landowners have been working together to restore a stream gully spanning eight property blocks and where donkeys have helped restore native bush on Rachel's land! This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Carey’s Bay Hotel. For more information go to www.careysbayhotel.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

How can looking to the past, present and future help guide our rewilding goals? Join me, Maureen Howard as I chat with my guest Associate Professor Michael Knapp from the Department of Anatomy at Otago University. Taking a long time scale perspective, Michael helps shed some light on some of the ecological issues in recent rewilding episodes and how we can work better with nature. This episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Carey’s Bay Hotel. For more information go to www.careysbayhotel.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Please enjoy this replay from October 2024 Climate change and biodiversity loss often go hand in hand - but fortunately so do the solutions. In this episode of Rewilding in Action I visit the garden of urban ecologist Professor Yolanda van Heezik from Otago University. We discuss 'Garden Rewilding' particularly in the context of the broader urban landscape, and the value of gardens to reduce extreme flooding events in urban areas. Yolanda explains how and why we should allow our own gardens to become that little bit wilder - for nature’s sake - and ours. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Please enjoy this replay from October 2024 Could the plaintive calls of Buff Weka once again be heard across the Otago Peninsula? It’s already a special refuge – for breeding penguins like hoiho and kororā, for toroa Northern Royal Albatrosses and tarāpunga Red-billed Gull colonies. In this show I chat with my guests Hoani Langsbury and Tūmai Cassidy about some of the commonalities between their Māori world view, knowledge and vision – and those of Rewilding. They tell me how the values behind Te Ao Māori are guiding ecological restoration on the peninsula particularly as it relates to the possible reintroduction of Buff Weka. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Please enjoy this replay from January 2025 In this episode of Rewilding in Action, host Maureen Howard is back on Otago Peninsula again to meet with Paula Cross who along with her husband Brendan farm 880 ha of the predominantly steep hill country they own and lease there. Join me to find out from my guest what it’s like to combine rewilding native forest with farming, how cutting back Muehlenbeckia australis in the native forest has impacted it, and why we might want to keep some of the non-native trees and shrubs until the native forest gets established. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Please enjoy this replay from December 2024 Should we rewild rivers - when floods can bring damage to property and sometimes loss of life? In this episode I chat with my guest river scientist Professor Gary Brierley about the importance of seeing rivers as dynamic entities within the landscape, rather than water channels to manage. We discuss how we can live well with our water catchments - from those that feed our magnificent glacier fed rivers to those that supply the streams on our properties. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Muehlenbeckia australis has a reputation as an invasive vine. On the other hand it is a native that can benefit rare species such as the local pakake / sealion population. Today we’re headed to the harbour mouth of Dunedin along the West Harbour, to the small coastal community of Aramoana. Join me, Maureen Howard as I chat with conservationist Bradley Curnow, chair of the Aramoana Conservation Charitable Trust, about the pakake that have returned to breed here. Today’s episode of Rewilding in Action is supported by Carey’s Bay Hotel. For more information go to www.careysbayhotel.co.nz This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

17 - Trapping Rodents on Quarantine Island - Find out what happened to the mice population on Quarantine Island in Otago Harbour when Norway rats were successfully suppressed. Learn how the stewards of this island investigated the success of their mammalian control efforts by how well the vegetation was rewilding. Join me, Maureen Howard, as I chat to two members of the Governance and Management Group - Jim Fyfe and Claire Hagglund in the OAR FM studio. For more information about Kamau Taurua or Quarantine Island go to https://quarantineisland.org.nz/ This episode is kindly supported by Carey's Bay Hotel. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

When forests are young, flammable species like manuka, kanuka and gorse dominate. To reduce the risk of fire, an effective tool is to plant a native green firebreak between our homes and our naturally rewilding forest. What’s a green firebreak? What species should we plant? How wide should the firebreak be, where should it go and how can we look after it? Join Maureen Howard on Rewilding in Action with her guest Associate Professor Dr Tim Curran. For more information on low flammable native species go to https://www.checkitsalright.nz/reduce-your-risk/low-flammability-plan This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

When conditions are right, gorse can be a good friend to native forest - acting as a nursery crop for natural native forest regeneration. How does it do it? What native plants come through the gorse? What happens to the gorse when it has done its job? And when might we need to plant? In this episode Maureen Howard visits Volco, a rewilding property on Mount Cargill Road just north of Dunedin City to talk with forest restoration practitioner Hendrik Koch who is a Trustee of the property. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

The Miyawaki approach involves densely planting a comprehensive variety of eco-sourced native forest plants into enriched soil to grow plants faster. How does it compare with standard planting or natural native forest regeneration? The Dunedin City Council keen to find out! In this episode of Rewilding in Action, Maureen Howard hosts a panel discussion organised by the DCC about the Miyawaki method. Maureen’s guests on the panel are Colin Davis from Nelson Whakatu Microforest Initiative, DCC Parks Planning Manager John Brenkley, and director of Biochar NZ Ltd Dennis Enright. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Tui, korimako/bellbirds and tauhou/silvereyes are much loved gardens birds. By consuming the nectar of native plants they are also important pollinators for rewilding our native forests. Is it a good idea to feed wild birds artificially? Does feeding them a solution of sugar in water help or harm them? And could bird feeders help spread the bird flu variant H5N1 when it reaches our shores? Grab yourself a cuppa and put your feet up to listen in to Rewilding in Action with my guest Dr Daria Erastova. This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz

Could this be the year the last possum on the Otago Peninsula is caught? And can we really know? In this episode of Rewilding in Action, host Maureen Howard interviews reintroduction biologist Professor Phil Seddon from Otago University, and Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group operations manager Paula Cross in the OAR studio. Listen in to find out how over 25,000 possums have been removed and why removing every last possum is the best way to help the native forest to regenerate. This episode is kindly sponsored by The OPERA (www.theopera.co.nz). This show was broadcast on OAR 105.4FM Dunedin - http://oar.org.nz