Ancient forests are in worse shape than people realise and only generations of pest control and advocacy work will save them.

More than 200 delegates were given a sobering refresher in kaitiakatanga (guardianship) at a major iwi-led conservation gathering at Te Kaha this week.

Speakers at the Kāhui Taiao Tūroa Symposium 2025 stressed the need for a long view to ensure future generations could encounter teeming birdlife in forests where young plants can grow to replace older ones.

Iwi-led conservation groups from across the country received the none too comforting news that native understorey was rapidly being browsed out by deer and other pests in almost every forest; mature native trees destroyed by possums and precious songbirds wiped out by stoats, feral cats and other pests.

As if to make the picture even grimmer, the ecological damage to forests was worsening the effects of climate change.

Example: Cyclone Gabrielle was made many times worse in low coastal areas as water rushed through near empty hill forests, where understorey had been wiped out by pests. Such events caused massive slips and delivered countless tonnes of topsoil into rivers, caused loss of property and threatened lives.

The remedy was no job for one day, pointed out Raukūmara Pae Maunga governor Ora Barlow.

Today’s deer culler could shoot 80 deer but if 800 still roamed the forest his tamariki and mokopuna would be picking up their rifles to finish the job.

At present the advantage was largely held by browsing animals, possums, the mustelids and other pests. These had the upper hand in most forests and only generations of poisoning, trapping and shooting is likely to wrest the advantage away from them.

A greater battle was winning the hearts and minds of urban dwellers, most of whom were unaware of dramatic events unfolding in our forests, Ms Barlow said.

“Let’s just say most New Zealanders have a nostalgic view of our forests which doesn’t allow them to accurately assess the degradation.

“For so many townsfolk, seeing green treetops from car windows reassures them all is well with the bush. So, changing this view will demand that those of us aware of the realities make respectful and reasoned arguments over a long period.”

Ms Barlow grasps the appeal of our “clean green New Zealand” as a tourism slogan, considers it well intentioned and is not out to rubbish those who use it.

“The fact is our country is beautiful, it is majestic, it does have high international regard. Tourism is our second largest export earner, taking in $44.4 billion for the year ended March 30th. It’s all great, of course, and I enjoy the romantic depiction of our country in the Lord of the Rings films as much as anyone, but the true state of our natural environment provides no cause for comfort.

“One in three native species are at risk of extinction and native forest cover is in drastic decline. We’re down to only 30% of Aotearoa's original native forest area, but here’s the kicker – even that 30 percent is looking rough, in poor health and still trending downwards.”

Ms Barlow showed slides of forests around the country where the native understory comprised only ferns unpalatable to deer.

Iwi groups were involved in conservation work the length of the country, the forests represented including those in Fiordland, Tongariro, Abel Tasman, Aorangi, Coromandel, and Pureora and Waipoua. All were showing stress from browsing animals, she said.

Slips were caused by and made worse by de-vegetation. Rivers were also suffering. Instead of rainwater being slowed down and absorbed by the native understory, it was hitting the ground “with a bang” and sweeping down the hillsides as it found its way into rivers. This had the potential to worsen property damage and even cause loss of life downstream.

Ms Barlow also sounded a note of hope, pointing to forest conservation progress in various parts of the country.

Raukūmara Pae Maunga would receive a $6 million funding boost over the next three years from the Government, something that would give the programme certainty as its Jobs for Nature funding would run out next year.

Established in 2020, Raukūmara Pae Maunga is a partnership between Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Apanui and the Department of Conservation which aims to restore the biodiversity of the forest in the East Cape's Raukūmara range.

It ran the largest aerial 1080 operation and the largest deer control operation in the North Island and currently employs 28 local iwi staff.

It is one of Aotearoa's most ambitious ecological restoration programmes, largely because it is not just about the ecological goal, but also a social enterprise that generates jobs and supports iwi aspirations.

"Our people are trained; the landscape is starting to respond with this very much needed large scale response that we've had in terms of applying conservation tools and seeing those gains.”

Many conservation projects around the country had relied on the same funding and now didn't have any next steps, she said.

"It really is a massive problem in our country where tourism is reliant on our biodiversity and nature."

Ms Barlow repeated that it would require a change in national perception to see the amount of investment conservation required for large scale ecological restoration.

The restoration of ecosystems and the control of invasive species were ongoing work. Funding, as at Raukūmara Pae Maunga, needed to continue, she said.

"What we want to do in the East Cape and in the wider East Coast region is emerge as a place with this special status driven by this nexus of economy, cultural revitalisation, mountain to ocean ecosystems, visitor experience, and climate change resilience. All of that is going to take intergenerational work."

Next steps for Raukūmara Pae Maunga included securing long-term funding partnerships, expanding restoration efforts and growing a skilled ecological workforce.