Windy Hill Sanctuary

A 770HA ecological restoration project situated on south eastern Great Barrier island. Integrated plant and animal pest management began in 1999. The Trust employs a field team of 5 to systematically manage 5000 rat stations, 60+ cat traps, hunt pigs, maintain 80+ km of tracks and remove invasive weeds. Management of ship rat and kiore is undertaken using balance of trapping and bait. Over 50,000 rats have been trapped and an unknown number poisoned.
A comprehensive monitoring programme began in 2000 - birds, lizards, invertebrates, weta, seedlings, rats and freshwater streams are monitored to an annual programme.
The landscape is a mozaic of broadleaf podicarp mature forest, mature kanaka forest, regenerating manuka and coastal forest. Much of this is undisturbed from ridgetop to coast with the bulk of the Sanctuary uninhabited.
Threatened species present include: kereru, kaka, black petrel, grey faced petrel, striped and chevron skinks, pacific and forest geckos, and pateke.