The 940 hectares of the Pukaha Mount Bruce reserve is the last remaining remnant of the once-famous 70 Mile Bush that teemed with birds and was alive with song.

Just ten years ago, this much-reduced forest was completely silent.

So we decided to do something about it. In the last decade, the dedicated team at Pukaha Mount Bruce has doubled the number of native birds year on year.

So, bird-song is returning to Pukaha Mount Bruce in dramatic increments because the restoration programme is working.

How are we doing that?

We made a conscious decision not to hide the birds on islands or barricade them behind predator-proof fences.  But this means we have to stay on top of the predators with an aggressive pest control programme.

That means we need to maintain:

• 130kms of trap lines
• 1000 bait stations for possums and rats
• 500 traps for feral stoats and ferrets

More bush, fewer pests, louder birdsong.

It is a simple and practical solution.