RESOURCES

This trial was led by our Upstream Coordinator, Ainsley Harte, and kindly funded by Pan Pac Environmental Trust. Project partners were Envico Technologies and Hawke's Bay Regional Council (HBRC). The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of "seed pods" dropped via drone in revegetating cyclone-damaged hillside in the Hawke's Bay with native plant species.

 

We are excited to say that the trial has had a promising start with germination evident only two months after the seed pods were dropped.

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Thank you to Graeme Fountaine and Tom Lane for allowing the trial to take place on their properties and the rest of the community for their support. After further observation to confirm the viability of this solution, we hope to roll this out to the wider community. 

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Please click the button below to read the full report. We trust that you will find it interesting and insightful. 

Water samples were collected from Rūnanga Lake in December 2023 using sampling kits provided by the Environmental Protection Agency and examined for environmental DNA (eDNA) by Wilderlab in Wellington. eDNA provides a snapshot of organisms recently in contact with water, identified from fragments of their DNA. 

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Some interesting findings from the study included, numerous species of phytoplankton and zooplankton being identified by eDNA many of which are associated with poor water quality. Furthermore, Wilderlab classified Rūnanga Lake as ‘very poor’. This is consistent with previous classifications based on low clarity, high nutrient concentrations and sparse macrophytes. Several animal, invertebrates and fish species DNA was also identified. Most surprisingly, a freshwater jellyfish that arrived from China in the 1950s was detected for the first time.

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Please click the button below to read the full report.