Waikato bats will have a new permanent home at Hamilton Airport from May 2025 with tens of thousands of trees expected to house them.
Avoiding what Forest and Bird called a “death of a thousand cuts”, Hamilton Airport has set aside about 15 hectares of land dedicated to planting around 75,000 trees to give Waikato long-tailed bats a home in the airport’s developing business zone (Titanium Park).
The original private plan change to extend the zone, presented to Waipa District Council in a joint proposal by Titanium Park Ltd and Rukuhia Properties Ltd, included steps for a “bat management plan”.
“For any trees that cannot be integrated into the future development of the precinct, the Bat Management Plan shall specify best practice tree removal protocols, and mitigation for any trees to be removed,” it read.
This was appealed by Forest and Bird, the Department of Conservation and Waikato Regional Council.
After successful mediation, the new “bat management plan” involves planting approximately 75,000 trees of 40 different species, and a $200,000 contribution from the airport to go towards pest control.
The airport’s ecology team lead Rob Dol said that planting will likely begin in May 2025.
“The two sites will be subject to ecological enhancement to provide optimal bat habitat as compensation for actual and potential residual impacts on pekapeka (long-tailed bats) associated with the change in land use in the northern precinct [of Titanium Park],” Dol said.
He said both sites will be transferred to a charitable trust after two years.
In terms of pest control, the main two goals are to “protect potential roosting habitat for mammalian predators to avoid predation, and protect planted trees from browsing animals to support the trees to grow into potential roosting habitat”.
“Pest animal control will be initiated by Titanium Park Ltd (TPL) and Rukuhia Properties Ltd (RPL) as enhancement works commence and continue until the compensation sites are transferred to the charitable trust,” he said.
“On transfer a $200,000 contribution will be made to the trust by TPL and RPL to fund ongoing pest animal management or other initiatives to help protect the local population of long-tailed bats.”
Forest and Bird’s acting general counsel Erika Toleman said Forest and Bird is pleased with the new bat management plan.
“Bats are under pressure from habitat loss around Hamilton. It is critical that they have access to good quality habitat to ensure they do not disappear from the area,” Toleman said.
“Forest & Bird considers that the land set aside for the bats is appropriate to respond to the development, although more is needed to be done to ensure bats are protected.”
Toleman said that she hopes to see more of this kind of decision making in any future developments at the airport.
“Bats don’t like highly developed areas, so the development of farmland for industrial use is bad for bats, unless protection and enhancement is proposed to respond to the habitat loss.
“Development needs to minimise the loss of habitat and provide for the protection and enhancement of bat habitat at a level appropriate for the activity.”
To see the original, full article in the Waikato Times, click here.
