The Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA) Committee and National Environment Service have launched a management plan through to 2030.

The management plan is based on studies spanning over 36 years, on the management and conservation of the endemic kakerori (Rarotonga Flycatcher), which is found in the TCA.

Representatives from the three landowner tribes attended the launch as a significant conservation milestone: Ngati Kainuku, Ngati Karika and Ngati Manavaroa.

The Covid 19 pandemic delayed the completion of the management plan, however the proactive approach by key stakeholders involved gave impetus to the final completion of the plan. The launch was a celebration of the achievements of the families involved in the TCA, as well as progressing long term sustainability and conservation measures. 

The kakerori population grew from only 29 found in 1989, to well over 620 in 2023. These endangered species thrive in this 155-hectare conservation area and is one of the Pacific’s most successful stories for conserved areas. The management plan covers this history, along with recommendations that will solidify this work for the next 10 years. The management plan includes census counts, illustrations of the TCA size, distribution of birds, and the threats to the kakerori’s population including cyclones. 

TCA Committee chairperson Ian Karika, said: “I am very proud with the work done by all three tribes. This will be the first Management Plan of its kind for Rarotonga, since the Takuvaine Water Catchment Management Plan 2006.”

NES senior partnerships coordinator Muraai Herman said the launch of the TCA Management Plan between NES and the TCA committee was a positive step in pushing the awareness of the conservation area with the many facts provided by a team from the New Zealand Department of Conservation, namely Ed Saul, Hugh Robertson, Lynda Nia, Lynn Adams and the pioneers Ian Karika, Ana Tiraa, and the landowners of the TCA: Ngati Karika, Ngati Kainuku and Ngati Manavaroa. 

The TCA is being further supported by the GEF-7 Enhancing Nature’s Unique Areas (ENUA) project, which will contribute to the implementation of the management plan and continues to strengthen its effective management to reverse one of the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss.