Here at Cardrona, we have a special connection to our people, our mountain & our future. We have a culture of genuine respect for all who come here, all who have been, & all who will come here in years to come.
We know that we are the kaitiaki (guardians) of our maunga (mountain), & we are working to fulfil this role every day. We want to deepen this connection & take it to a whole new level. That’s why we launched the Cardrona Foundation – an organisation of guardianship, protection & conservation.
The Kārearea Project
Plant a seed
Ride Tamariki
We want to start a cycle of giving, well-being, & conservation that ripples through our community to make our place, people & future as good as they possibly can be.
You can read more about our 3 foundation projects in the tabs below.
The Cardrona Kārearea Conservation Project is a community project lead by Cardrona Alpine Resort. The project is supported by the businesses and people of the valley who all share a passion for the environment and are keen to help conserve the kārearea and help it thrive. The project has scientific oversight by Parker Conservation who are experienced ornithologists and are authorities on kārearea. The project has links with Iwi, Department of Conservation, and other South Island kārearea projects. A huge thanks to Hugo Charitable Trust and The Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation for their support of the project.
The kārearea is New Zealand’s only native falcon species and is a taonga (treasure) within our environment. Also known as Sparrowhawks in some areas, the species is our most threatened bird of prey, with threats such as predation by introduced mammalian predators, loss of habitat and wide-ranging human impact. The totemic presence of kārearea in the Maunga of Te Waipounamu (mountains of the South Island) is of vital importance to our ecological, cultural and societal health.
There is a significant knowledge gap in our scientific understanding of kārearea in the alpine environment which inhibits conservation management. Simply put, we need to collect more data about the kārearea in order to understand how best to protect it. Our region has a small population of kārearea and presents an opportunity to develop a science-based conservation approach in tussock grassland mountain ecosystems. An integral component of this project is education and community engagement, with local school children, residents and visitors to the region being introduced to the kārearea through multiple platforms.
Click here to read our 2021 project report.
1. Gather knowledge of sightings:
2. Locate breeding pairs
3. Locate & monitor nests
4. Gain insight on breeding population, habitat use & territory size
5. Educate and Engage
In order to achieve real benefit, we will continue these actions for the next five years. We will investigate the potential for incorporating a postgraduate student into the project. In addition, we will publish the results of this project in scientific journals, so that this project will not only help the birds of this region but all across New Zealand.
A massive thanks to our Ride Tamariki sponsors:
It's so important to us to look after our maunga and the environment in general. Read about what we're doing up at Cardrona now, and our goals for the future.
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