Extreme home makeover: Lizard edition

Around 700 northern grass skinks and Raukawa geckos were relocated from two different sites surrounding the facility to protected sites in the Miramar Peninsula, like Rangitatau Park, Tukanae Street Reserve, and Centennial Park. 

Advice on how to move the lizards in a safe way was provided by Project Ecologist, Trent Bell from Beca, who also gave recommendations on how the landscape could be tailored for the lizards.

Now that the lizards were safely settled into their new homes, Iain Prescott and his team from Natural Habitats were contracted to landscape the area to make it more lizard friendly, while enhancing the areas with eco-sourced (Wellington local) coastal native species.

The first step was to clear the areas of noxious weeds, such as gorse, wild fennel and broom. This would allow the new pockets of natives that were planted to establish quickly, without being outcompeted by weeds says Iain.

“Due to Wellington’s conditions it’s easy for these weeds to grow and spread. We removed most of them but left small scrub piles of mulched fennel for the lizards to use, as recommended by the ecologist. No herbicides or chemicals, such as glyphosate, were used. This reduced the potential risk to the local fauna and skinks, and we did all the clearing manually.

“By leaving some of the low gorse as a nursery crop around each pocket of natives, we reduced the exposure to the strong Wellington winds, which can stunt growth and slow down plant establishment.”

A key consideration was also making sure the area had enough rocks and shelter for the lizards, says Iain. 

“Lizards love to move and climb around, so you need to provide lots of rock piles for them and have the right vegetation. These were installed prior to us arriving so they had a place where they could sleep and hide when they were done being in the sun.

“Dense bush and vegetation are another key part of the habitat so they have different environments to scurry about with protection from predators such as birds.”

Iain says that they were very mindful of the lizards already on site when the landscaping occurred, and took extra care to keep them safe during the landscaping. 

“Our general rule was similar to what you would do in Australia if you were walking around the bush, you go slightly heavy footed to try and warn them through your movements and ground vibrations. 

“What we did looked a bit strange, but we stamped around in a small square before we did work in the area to try and give them a heads up we were there, and to give them a chance to move away.”

Sludge Minimisation Facility Project Director Janet Molyneux says that looking after the lizards and the surrounding environment is an important part of the project.  

“We are happy to have done this important next step to enhance their new location and make sure they have the shelter and environment they need.

“Wellington City Council and the project team are making sure the project delivers the best possible outcomes for the city, its community, and the environment.”   

Find out more about the work at Te Whare Wai Para Nuku on our website.