**UPDATE MAY 2021**
And more from our lovely Lovebirds in 2021, they are doing great things in the Aotea Community Native Plant Nursery.
The Nursery, developed and managed by the Trust, has now been open for 15 months. Sales have exceeded the projected budget as have the number of plants propagated. This is a pilot project designed to reduce the biosecurity risk of people bringing plants and their associated pests onto the island, and to find out what plants are most needed and in what sort of numbers. Wetland and hedging plants have been identified so far as most requested with Nikau palms and rengarenga lilies always popular.
We love getting updates from the team at Lovebirds. They are keeping on keeping on despite the unsettling year of 2020 and the rocky start to 2021. Faced with 30% less rainfall last year than the previous year, the lack of rain has impacted measurably on the forest vegetation, birds, lizards, and invertebrates. More determined than ever this group of dedicated, community spirited nature lovers soldier on. Keep up the good work, we are inspired by your enthusiasm and can do approach!
**THE LOVEBIRD STORY**
Tucked away in the lush, rolling green hills of Great Barrier Island, you will find a community nursery named Lovebirds. This community project is overseen by the Charitable Trust, Windy Hill Sanctuary which is aimed at sustaining and improving biodiversity on Great Barrier Island.
Manned by a loyal and dedicated team of local volunteers the nursery raises native seedlings for planting on the island. The seedlings needed to be transported between the greenhouses and the nursery volunteers had to find a solution for this which didn’t involve moving only one or two plants at a time.
(Volunteer Derek Bell moving seedlings into a newly erected polytunnel)
IFP Group have a range of Vented Crate options suitable for nurseries including the 48 Litre Bread Crate which are easy to handle and are stackable. When empty they cross stack for space saving.
The 48 Litre Bread Crates are great for keeping the seedlings off the ground so they don’t sit on the wet or damp. Nurturing the native seedlings is imperative to ensure the success of the planting programme and is a productive step in the longevity of these native plants
(Inside the shade house)
Lovebirds are doing great work on Great Barrier Island helping native species flourish, eradicating invasive plants and reintroducing native plants that have been previously lost to the Island.
We love your dedication Lovebirds!
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