Natural areas of Te Paki Ecological District

Download the publication

Natural areas of Te Paki Ecological District (PDF, 4,702K) 

Summary

Te Paki Ecological District covers approximately 30,917 ha and is located at the northern extremity of the North Island, adjoining Aupouri Ecological District to the south. It is characterised by extensive areas of indigenous shrublands and gumlands linking long sandy beaches, dunes, freshwater wetlands and forest remnants.

Forty-five natural areas of ecological significance covering approximately 23,234.5 ha were identified from a field reconnaissance survey undertaken in 1995–1997, together with information from existing databases and reports.

Te Paki Ecological District contains a high diversity of flora and fauna species, including many endemic taxa. Of particular significance are the 101 indigenous landsnail taxa known to inhabit the Ecological District (ED), including 39 locally endemic taxa. There are 20 locally endemic plant taxa, of which 17 are restricted to the Surville Cliffs serpentinite formation at North Cape and at least four lizards which are either endemic to the Te Paki ED or the Te Paki – Aupouri ED’s.

There are high numbers of rare or threatened species in the Ecological District, as well as rare ecosystem types. At present, nationally threatened taxa include 98¹ plants, 23 birds, 63 landsnails, 6 beetles, one weta, one moth, one slug, one earthworm, one spider, two freshwater invertebrates, 7 lizards and two² fish. There are also a further 82 regionally significant taxa, which are considered rare or threatened in Northland (including 69³ plants, 10 birds, 2 reptiles and 2 fish).

Virtually all natural areas in Te Paki Ecological District are of nationally significant conservation and ecological value with several areas reaching international significance. A large proportion of the natural areas identified are protected (87.1% or 20,244.4 ha), however most of this legal protection is Recreation Reserve (65% of the natural areas protected), which does not adequately provide for biodiversity protection. Priorities for land protection in Te Paki ED include the change in status of Te Paki Recreation Reserve to a higher level of formal protection, protection of sites with locally endemic species, legal protection of a buffer to the North Cape Scientific Reserve, protection of sites which provide habitat for threatened or regionally significant species, protection of buffers to Parengarenga Harbour (in adjacent Aupouri ED), and protection of unprotected enclaves within Mokaikai Scenic Reserve.