Species survival is council's priority

A plan to save some of the Waitakere Ranges’ threatened plant and animal species has been adopted by the council.

The Waitakere Threatened Species Management Policy sets out clear goals for the protection of species and ways to help them recover as well as guidance for staff on how to manage them.

"The overall goal is to have the number of threatened species not only reduced but to get their populations thriving," deputy mayor Penny Hulse says.

"There is no doubt urban development is putting pressure on our natural environment, which is why this policy is important because it gives staff a tool to guide them when they are planning projects."

An audit of the region’s plants and animals carried out last year found Waitakere has 46 animal and 160 plant species that are considered to be threatened.

This includes the black-backed gull, the bellbird and the Auckland green gecko.

A species is defined as threatened if there are only a few examples still living or its numbers are rapidly dwindling.

"As we prepare to move in to a new era of regional governance, in Waitakere we want to make sure that we have done what we can to ensure policies are in place to ensure the west’s biodiversity is in good health for future generations," Mrs Hulse says.

- © Fairfax NZ News