Latest news with #OneBillionTrees
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Wetland restoration under way
A metal decal of a black stilt or kakī on the entrance to the Cochrane family's farm near Waimate is the first indication the property could be home to something special. Five years ago, a pair of kakī — one of the world's rarest birds — started visiting the property Crystal Brook in the Lower Waihao catchment where the Hossack wetland is. Farm owners Martin and Diane Cochrane, along with their nephew, environmental scientist Simon Bloomberg, had always intended restoring the wetland — where invasive weeds and pest willow had been threatening the environment — but put it off due to the cost. Thanks to $10,000 of action plan funding from the Lower Waitaki South Coastal Canterbury water zone committee, work began earlier this year. The Cochrane family hope the project might encourage other landowners to consider how they could contribute to improving water quality and biodiversity. Funding had also been received from MGI Irrigation Co, and there had been QEII assistance with fencing, while funding had been obtained from the One Billion Trees programme to plant natives in gullies on Crystal Brook. Mrs Cochrane's family, the Elliots, had farmed the property since the 1899 Waikākahi farm ballot and bought the neighbouring Hossack Wetland in 2003. The wetland provided a natural filter for water going into the Waihao River and a variety of wading birds were also spotted there, much to the family's delight. Mr Cochrane spent the first eight years of his working life working for the New Zealand Forest Service. While there was always a desire to go farming, the stint gave him some knowledge around planting trees. When he and his wife started farming the original block, they planted trees in areas he did not think a four-wheel-drive tractor could not be safely driven on. Those trees were logged three years ago and the areas had since been replanted, along with some further plantings. Their daughter Jess, who studied geology and New Zealand's environmental history at university, worked on the farm for about a decade prior to joining Environment Canterbury. Concussion meant she found it hard working outside on the farm every day as she was sensitive to light and she applied for a job at ECan, having always wanted to help farmers with the environmental side of things. Nearly two years ago, she started as a land management and biodiversity adviser and her role had since changed to concentrate on land management. To ensure impartiality, she was not involved with the funding application to the zone committee. She enjoyed her job, saying her practical background in farming had been very beneficial and the family's own initiatives were useful as people always wanted to know the cost of embarking on such ventures and many underestimated how much it did cost. Both the Hossack wetland and another wetland area on the farm, with a sward of raupo through it, were being protected with QEII covenants, following a visit from QEII regional representative Rob Smith. That ensured they remained into the future and incorporating public access would also be part of the restoration project. Mr Cochrane said the biggest challenge would be the maintenance involved in growing the native plants as they could be quite vulnerable for the first three to five years. 'It will be a family project, anything we can do to improve the environment, and to make it a better home for wading birds is worth it,' he said. Keen to approach a school to help with planting, Mr Cochrane said he was eager to fast-forward about five years to see what the area looked like once the plants had become established.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mongolia to host international conference to fight desertification
WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Last week Mongolia signed the official agreement with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to host COP17 in its capital, Ulan Bataar, in 2026. COP17 refers to the 17th session of the Conference of Parties concerned about desertification with 194 participating countries. UPI spoke with Ambassador Jargalsaikhan Ensaikhan of Mongolia who was in Washington for discussions related to preparations for the conference. The Gobi desert is a vast, cold, arid region that spreads across southern Mongolia and northern China. "It is expanding bit by bit," said Ensaikhan. "The sands are moving." Mongolia is a vast sweep of grasslands that stretch eastwards across Central Asia. According to UNCCD, 60% of the land across the region is used for grazing and one-third of the population depends on it for their living The problem is not limited to Mongolia and Central Asia. UNCCD estimates there are 500 million pastoralists worldwide. "More than 100 countries face desertification problems," said Ensaikhan. "Most of them are in the Global South." He estimated that more than 70% of the land in Mongolia itself was under threat from spreading sands, winds and dust storms that strip topsoil, and drought conditions. These have a damaging effect on food security, biodiversity, and the livelihoods ofherders according to UNCCD reports. Mongolia is pushing back against the spreading sands through a national reforestation campaign called "One Billion Trees." The goal is to reach that target by 2030 and every citizen is being encouraged to plant. Reforestation is an effective measure against desertification. Tree roots serve to fix the topsoil more firmly and hold the water in it. They also act as windbreaks when planted strategically. Ensaikhan said there was a technical dimension to the tree planting to ensure it is effective. "Not every type of tree will grow in Mongolia. You have to know what willgrow where. There needs to be research." One of the purposes of next year's COP17 meeting is to share best practices in combatting desertification and commission joint research projects since, as Ensaikhan observed, "nobody was working on how to do reforestation" effectively. Ensaikhan served as Mongolia's ambassador to Austria, Italy, and the UN. He is currently the chair of Blue Banner, an NGO committed to promoting nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and establishing a nuclear-weapons-free zone in Northeast Asia.
