The plantings at the Port Bowen Reserve will include trees, shrubs and grasses. Photo / Bevan Conley
Volunteers are needed for a community riparian planting day at the Castlecliff Domain next week.
The planting area, known to locals as Port Bowen Reserve, is at the end of Seafront Rd below Karaka St.
The plantings are part of the Healthy Streams initiative, a community project led by Whanganui
District Council in collaboration with iwi, Horizons Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Ministry for the Environment, charitable trusts including the Whanganui River Enhancement Trust, commercial businesses and landowners.
"The Healthy Streams initiative is targeted at improving the water quality of stormwater run-off and natural watercourses by planting with native plants," Whanganui District Council senior stormwater engineer Kritzo Venter said.
"The plantings at the Port Bowen Reserve will include trees, shrubs and grasses, which have a meaningful carbon sequestration value, especially within the context of changing land use to riparian waterfront and wetlands."
Horizons Regional Council Whanganui freshwater co-ordinator Scotty Moore said it was hoped many more stream restoration projects to improve water quality and native fish habitat in urban waterways would be completed in the coming years.
"The Port Bowen Reserve is at the head of the Waiwherowhero watercourse, which is important habitat for threatened native fish such as banded kōkopu," Moore said.
