Friends of Flora, a community volunteer conservation group with volunteers from Tasman, Motueka, and Nelson, are championing the Mt Arthur giant wētā in the online competition ‘Bug of the Year 2024’ and they are calling for your help to vote for Tasman’s endangered wētā.
“We decided to champion the Mt Arthur giant wētā in the competition as everyone in Tasman has a special responsibility to look after this cute giant that only occurs in a few mountains in Kahurangi National Park – nowhere else in the world,” says Sandy Toy, Riwaka-based Friends of Flora chair.
“Tu Ao Wharepapa, Mt Arthur dominates the western horizon from Richmond and Waimea, we look at it every day but rarely stop to think about its’ threatened wildlife.
“There are not many bugs in the competition that are critically threatened, the Mt Arthur giant wētā is one of the only ones. Being critically threatened means that without conservation management it will become extinct and we will lose it forever, which would be devastating.”
The giant wētā is not like the wētā you find in your wood pile. This one is a gentle vegetarian, living in the tussock high above the tree line and coming out at night to feed on flowers and seeds. It is the smallest of the special group of ‘giant’ wētā – in fact, it’s a tiny giant and very cute.
Like all the giant wētā, the Mt Arthur giant wētās are wingless which makes them vulnerable to rodents, as well as climate change.
“Being an alpine specialist, the giant wētā cannot be given sanctuary on an offshore island or in a fenced enclosure, the ‘back-stop’ measures for New Zealand’s most threatened wildlife,” Sandy explains.
“The continued survival of this gorgeous critter is dependent on Aotearoa developing a mouse control tool that is effective in the massive landscapes of Kahurangi, there is currently no such tool.
“In the Bug of the Year competition, the giant wētā is an ambassador for many other vulnerable alpine lizards and invertebrates that are often overlooked. We need to appreciate our bugs more, without bugs we would not have our iconic birds such as the roroa and whio,” Sandy adds.
“We need help to shine a light on the giant wētā and the alpine fauna of Kahurangi, so please vote for Tasman’s endangered little friend.”
To vote for the Mt Arthur giant wētā go here before 12 February.
