We all have a responsibility to help look after our natural environment so it can look after us!
The good news is there are loads of simple steps we can take to be a good neighbour to nature.
Nicholas Mayne and the team at Upper Waitemata Ecology Network (UWEN) have designed a series of resources that can be printed out and displayed around our community to remind people of actions they can take to look after the local birds, fish and insects that live in our local reserves, parks, forests and streams.
Head to our resources page to download the Be A Good Neighbour series from the Other Resources area.
We would love you to print them out and give them to friends and neighbours, display them at your school, workplace or on community noticeboards. You could even ask your local café or supermarket if you can post the flyers on their noticeboards.
Here are a few of the tips you will find in these flyers.
· Only feed our wild friends healthy, whole foods like bird seed and fruit: Bread and other processed foods is not good for people, wildlife, or water quality. And when you feed our wild friends, only give them as much as they can eat straight away - uneaten food will only attract rats and mice.
· Plant native trees in your garden: Most of our native bird friends can only fly two kilometres between forest fragments; trees in gardens make this flight much easier. Much like roads make it easier for you to travel.
· Dispose of paint and chemicals responsibly: Everything you tip down an outside drain leads to the homes of native fish, in streams and the ocean. If you would not drink it yourself, don’t put it down the drain.
· Find new human homes for unwanted pets such as goldfish, lizards, birds, and turtles rather than releasing them into nature: These animals don't belong in our native forests and streams and can do a lot of damage. Plus, it is usually not a good life for them either.
· Turn your garden waste into compost at your home or pay for it to be composted: Green garden waste dumped in our homes can spread weeds, and release nitrates into streams. You can learn more about home composting at compostcollective.org.nz
· Treat your cat well at your home: University of Exeter researchers showed that introducing high-meat protein food reduced the number of animals cats killed by 36 per cent. Also, cats that play with a feather toy for five to 10 minutes a day, hunt 25 per cent less.
· Clean up after your dog: It is not just yucky to leave poo lying around; it spreads diseases such as parvovirus.
· When in our forests stick to the path: Walking off path damages low growing plants that are an important home for our wildlife, and, in some cases, it can spread weeds and disease.
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