In New Zealand, Simon Oosterman was already hard at work restoring the wetlands and native forest in Oratia, a semi-rural area on the western edge of West Auckland, when an unexpected gift was dropped in his lap.
Organizers from Matuku Link, a group linking several conservation projects dedicated to restoring and maintaining wetlands, contacted Oosterman with a funding opportunity they couldn't use but thought he might. An anonymous donor offered enough money to pay for contractors to clear invasive species from the area and replant it with natives, as well as monitor the location for five years to ensure the success of the replacement efforts.
"Normally, people would jump at the opportunity to get publicity, but sometimes funders don't want to do that," Oosterman told the Post (Wellington). The donor wished to remain completely anonymous and for the official monetary value of the contribution to be kept private.
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Oosterman and his crew of volunteers will continue helping, and the first major project kicked off in early November with the removal of invasive bamboo species from the property. Per the Post, it will take a year for them to be fully cleared from the soil, but 14,000 seedlings will be ready next winter to plant in their place.
Some of the replacement plants are dedicated to helping revive the kererū population, a species of pigeon native to the country that has seen its numbers dangerously ebb and flow in the past ten years. Kererū are not specifically listed as endangered but have been suffering from habitat loss thanks to human interference, per Kererū Discovery Trust. According to The Post, the kererū is the only bird species in New Zealand big enough to chomp through and disperse large tree seeds, making them crucial to ongoing environmental efforts.
Restoring native forests has a variety of environmental benefits, including improving carbon sequestration, which researchers estimate could contribute to 40% of carbon mitigation needed to meet 2030 goals to limit climate change, per the UN. Studies have also shown that multi-pronged approaches to replanting don't impede agricultural areas, allowing humans, animals, and plants to thrive, per the University of Exeter.
Oosterman hopes that his work in Oratia can help further connect people and motivate them to participate in conservation efforts for everyone's long-term benefit.
"We don't just want a service economy where you say, 'hey, you deliver that thing for me and sweet as.' People need to be a part of it," he said.
He continued, "That's not to say the council and Government don't have responsibility, they totally do, and I don't think they're doing what needs to be done. But if we want to build community resilience and build people's capacity to step in when no one else is, this is what we should do."
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