New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island, located in the Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, is set for a new conservation park.
Just over 12000 hectares of land will be transferred into the new Aotea Conservation Park.
Whilst not being a case of generating new forest (it is existing native forest covered land), it is claimed it will be New Zealand’s largest area of possum-free forest. This will be notable in allowing good natural re-growth and propagation, as possums destroying seedlings is an issue in many other areas.
With some of New Zealand’s most well known native tree types – Kauri and Pohutukawa, it also provides long term protected habitats for some very rare frogs and other species.
The NZ Herald story on it can be read here.