A de-vine passion
Noxious vines stand no chance against a Golden Bay man's infectious vision.
Chris Rowse expected to be greeted with sunshine when he and his wife moved to a lifestyle block in Golden Bay. He didn't expect to find banana-passion vines silently slithering their way through the trees, robbing them of sunlight. “Some mid-sized trees were breaking down and trying to sprout back up with vines all over them. That's when we realized how much of a nuisance it was."
He also didn't expect his weed-busting hobby to cover all of Golden Bay.
“It was a very organic process,” says Chris, now the project director of the Project De-Vine Environmental Trust.
The trust works on a simple premise. The more properties cleared of noxious vines, the lower the rates of infestation.
Chris didn't like the idea of pulling vines when he's 80, so he banded together with a few neighbours to combat their shared enemy. After two years running a local weed-busting group, he and more than 20 others successfully had banana-passion vine added to the local council's Regional
Pest Management Strategy.
“There's nothing like success to make you feel more enthusiastic,” he says.
He then applied for a three-year grant from DOC's Biodiversity Fund, his first stab at grant writing, and he was victorious. Applications for larger grants were approved, and Project De-Vine was born. They added other pest vines to the control list, including old man's beard and climbing asparagus.
Dealing with pest plants requires vigilance. Project De-Vine assesses properties in Golden Bay. It then tackles the problem using a four-phase reporting system to track progress and determine if a property needs extra attention. Landowners are encouraged to be proactive at identifying and controlling weeds.
While far from finished, Chris is pleased with the improvement on his own block. He was tackling up to 400 banana-passion vine seedlings a year. These days, he may get 50 a year, and the number continues to decline.
It's proof that there's strength in numbers. Project De-Vine has since joined forces with government agencies and conservation groups. The charity is now contracted to manage pest plant and tree species around rivers, reserves, and national parks.
“If you clear away the weeds, riparian plantings and regenerating forests will be far more successful,” says Chris.
Between funded and contracted work, De-Vine's vision extends from the northern tip of Kahurangi National Park to the 'halo' around Abel Tasman National Park.
“Clearing these vines and other pest plants are the keys to successful eco-restoration. One landowner alone would get overwhelmed; it's much more efficient when people and organisations ■ come together.”
Identify nasty weeds: www.weedbusters.co.nz