Native grasses stabilise dunes

Posted by on 10 July 2006 | 0 Comments


OROUA Downs School pupils, Khan Moore and Sophie Fisher, receive their pingao plants from Nola Fraser.
MANAWATU District Council Parks and Reserves Manager, Albert James, has welcomed the plantings of native pingao and spinifex grasses at the Himatangi and Tangimoana Beaches during the Conservation Department’s school beach planting programme.

Children from different schools have planted the grasses during separate Arbor Day activities at the beaches over the past week.

Some of the pingao had been grown by the students as part of DOC’s “Seeds for Schools” project, with the programme also educating them on the sensitive nature of sand dunes and how the grasses survive in their natural environment.

Further plantings are scheduled for Tangimoana tomorrow and at Turakina Beach next Thursday.

Mr James said the beach planting programme represented close co-operation between DOC, MDC, Horizons Regional Council and schools and the benefits from previous plantings were now becoming evident.

“You can certainly see the difference at Himatangi Beach where the spinifex and pingao are starting to spread along the coastline, although it will take longer at Tangimoana because of erosion problems they experience.”

He said the plantings, as well as ongoing public co-operation, would ensure greater stability of the dunes.

“We need this stability to prevent blow-outs and sand blown over houses. Even one motorbike ridden over the dunes can cause damage. It’s a fragile environment and anything that survives out there needs our help.”

Plant grower Peter Fraser, of Turakina Beach, said native grasses were the key reason for a successful take as they produced a low dune compared to the imported marram grass.

“Though the marram grass dunes are instant, they produce a high dome and eventually erode themselves by tipping over on their own height,” he said.

DOC community relations programme manager, Jo Greig, said it was the first year children had been able to plant their own plants and she had been “blown away” by their knowledge of the fragile beach environment.

Mr James said council also planned to plant up to 3000 native trees and shrubs behind the Fire Station at Himatangi Beach this week as part of its beautification programme for the area. Members of the Salvation Army’s Conservation Corps will carry out the plantings.

Further council plantings are scheduled for Tangimoana and Rongotea later this month and the Keep Feilding Beautiful organisation will be holding its Arbor Day planting at Feilding’s Timona Park on Saturday.

Source: Manawatu District Council.

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