Thursday 25 January 2007

National conference showcases local coastal work

Years of coastal restoration work by Bay of Plenty volunteers will be showcased to a national audience in February.

Over the past 13 years, hundreds of local people have spent thousands of hours planting sand dunes with native dune plants to strengthen them. Their dedication has helped make Coast Care Bay of Plenty the most successful programme of its kind in New Zealand, with 100km of managed dunes and 40km now fully restored.

Coast Care’s work will be celebrated at a four-day national conference in Tauranga in mid-February. The conference will involve New Zealand’s top coastal experts, tertiary students, local and regional councils, and others interested in the sustainable management of the coastal environment.

Event organiser, Greg Jenks of Environment Bay of Plenty, says Coast Care members are top of the invite list. “We want as many of our volunteers to come along as possible. This is all about their work – so we want to celebrate it with them.”

Environment Bay of Plenty is organising the conference on behalf of the Dune Restoration Trust of New Zealand. It includes a series of field trips to different planting locations around Tauranga harbour and down the coast to Matata. The keynote speaker is the Hon David Parker, the Minister for Climate Change Issues.

The conference will be held in the Baycourt Theatre from Tuesday 13 February to Friday 16 February, with the last day as an optional day. For the programme, costs, and how to register, go to www.envbop.govt.nz. For more information, contact Greg Jenks at Environment Bay of Plenty on 0800 ENV BOP (368 267).

Coast Care Bay of Plenty is a partnership project between Environment Bay of Plenty, coastal district and city councils, and the Department of Conservation. It involves 30 community groups based from Waihi Beach to Cape Runaway

ENDS

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