Mindfood Magazine: Angels of the Everyday
This article was written by Anna Crichton for the August 2024 issue of Mindfood Magazine.
Emma Rowell is part of a groundbreaking conservation project that is turning the tide on native bird loss. Predator Free Wellington’s mission is to create the world’s first predator-free capital city, working to remove invasive predators and improve native biodiversity.
Rowell has been involved with Predator Free Wellington since the project began five years ago, now working as one of the Eradication Technical Officers. Rowell’s role looks at data and strategy, which requires a lot of creative problem solving and innovation.
“When trying to do something that’s never been done, while also working in a space which encompasses tens of thousands of people, there are constantly new challenges popping up which require novel solutions. It really feels like we’re on the frontline of the national Predator Free 2050 mission – we’re getting to design and trial new methods and we’re learning so much.”
In November 2023, the project reached a major milestone, having successfully eliminated Norway rats, ship rats, stoats and weasels from the Miramar Peninsula. She says the threat of predators returning is constant, with rats arriving in all sorts of ways including horse floats, firewood deliveries and campervans. “We can’t afford to let our guard down. We have a dedicated response team, which includes our rat detection dog and handler, that is ready to react to any new rat detections within 24 hours.”
Rowell has been blown away by the community involvement since the project began. “We’re getting several reports of possible rat sightings every week. Most of them come to nothing, thankfully, but having so many eyes on lookout is one of our most valuable tools,” she says.
The gains in biodiversity are impressive, with some species increasing over 500 per cent since the project’s inception. “Seeing the environmental change happen so quickly has been incredible, especially watching the return of birds that had been driven locally extinct, such as kākāriki and kākā.
“We’ve seen a huge bounceback in bird, wētā and mokomoko (lizard) numbers already, which for me is the biggest motivator and why I got into this type of work. Instead of people reporting rats chewing through the pipes of their hot water cylinder, or in the roof keeping them awake at night, we’re hearing about geckos in the garden shed or penguins in the backyard pond. We’ve got to be one of the few cities in the world where biodiversity is actually increasing rapidly.”
Now busy with phase two of the project, which is expanding into Ōwhiro Bay and Wellington CBD, Rowell is excited to keep the momentum going. “I’ve never been part of such a passionate, driven team – our staff and volunteers are out there rain or shine, doing the hard mahi (work) towards this ambitious shared goal.”
Posted: 16 August 2024