The Glory of the Garden

"We have lost 95 percent of our lowland forest, most of our wetlands and dunes, and three quarters of our bird species are threatened. But working with volunteers and other councils and agencies, we are gaining ground in the battle to reverse the loss of Wellington's biodiversity."
The most obvious success story is our growing native bird populations. Tui are flourishing - bellbird, whitehead, kakariki, tomtit and kaka numbers are increasing and we're now seeing kereru nesting in our reserves.
"Behind these changes are planting and pest management programmes that are creating healthier forest with fewer pests where birds can prosper," says Cr Ritchie.

As a teenager, Jadav Payeng began planting trees on a barren sandbar in India. 30 years later, it's home to a sprawling forest.