Botanic Man treed in totara

Press, 23 January 1988, Page 1

Botanic Man treed in totara

Special correspondent The English naturalist, Dr David Bellamy, nearly had to take up residence atop a giant totara tree in the Pureora Forest, yesterday. Television’s Botanic Man was stranded in the totara after he went up about 30m to visit a tree-top protester, Mr Stephen King. Mr King and a fellow protester, Mr Marcus Ladd, took to the trees this week after a Government decision to sell 7000 ha of land, adjoining the native forest, to the Forestry Corporation. Dr Bellamy went up the tree in a harness on a pulley, but when he tried to get down again the ropes tangled and he took about 45 minutes to get back on the forest floor.

Dr Bellamy is in New Zealand until Monday, taking a break from a lecture tour in Australia.

He fully supports the protesters’ idea to replant the 7000 ha of land in native bush. Yesterday he watched as a small totara seedling was planted as a symbolic start to the planned regeneration of native bush.

An elder of the Rere Ahu tribe, Mrs Martha Hepi, welcomed the visitors into the forest. In an emotional ceremony, Mrs Hepi dedicated one of the giant trees to Dr Bellamy. The group is concerned that the strip of native forest will not be able to maintain itself because of not being big enough. It would like to see the pine-covered 7000 ha, adjacent to the ancient forest, replanted in native bush. The District Conservator for the Conservation Department, Mr John Gaukrodger, said yesterday that he agreed that the Pikariki ecological area was vulnerable. The area was a reasonable size, but had “no body” and needed protection from the wind.

The corporation had agreed to set up buffer zones round the native bush and the two bodies were trying to co-operate in maintaining the area.