The Kākāpō Recovery Programme turns 25 next year and, to celebrate, Sirocco the kākāpō—ambassador for his species and New Zealand’s official Spokesbird for Conservation—partied at Parliament last night.
The partnership behind the Kākāpō Recovery Programme began in 1990 when DOC combined forces with the New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Ltd (NZAS) and Forest & Bird to ensure the ongoing survival of this iconic species. It is the longest standing conservation partnership DOC has been involved with.
While NZAS has contributed nearly four and half million dollars to fund the programme, it isn’t just about the money. As well as providing guidance on strategic planning, NZAS employees have volunteered more than 1,000 days to improve infrastructure on kākāpō inhabited islands, assist with kākāpō supplementary feeding and even mind nests.
New Zealand’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme has become a world leading conservation programme, pioneering conservation techniques that have developed and carried over into other programmes.
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