Forestry company creates sanctuary for nationally critical native snails

OneFortyOne NZ Forests has established a dedicated sanctuary to protect a rare endemic snail species in a partnership that brings together forestry, conservation, and mana whenua.

The sanctuary, located within OneFortyOne’s Rai Forests, provides a small safe haven for giant land-snails, Powelliphanta hochstetteri consobrina, an endangered species classified as Nationally Critical.

Environment Manager of OneFortyOne NZ Forests, Jo Field, says the initiative demonstrates the company’s commitment to responsible forest management.

“As responsible forest managers, we believe in protecting the unique biodiversity within our forests. When we discovered these rare snails in our estate, we knew we had to take action,” said Jo.

“We’ve installed a specialised predator-proof fence to keep out pigs and weka which are significant threats to these snails. We’ve also modified our harvesting practices in the surrounding area to ensure these special creatures are protected for generations to come.”

“We’re proud to invest in this infrastructure and modify our forestry practices to protect this species that’s unique to this region.”

If any live snails are found during forest operations, they can be moved to the safety of the sanctuary. Biannual monitoring will involve all partners, creating an ongoing collaborative conservation effort.

Ngāti Tama, the landowners of the forest estate which is managed by OneFortyOne, play a crucial role in the sanctuary project through their practice of kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

Dayveen Stephens, Environment Manager for Ngāti Tama, says the protection of these taonga species aligns with their values as kaitiaki of the land.

“These snails may be small, but they are an important part of our forest ecosystem and our responsibility as kaitiaki extends to all creatures, not just the large and charismatic ones,” said Dayveen.

“This sanctuary creates opportunities for our whānau to be involved in monitoring and protecting these taonga. It allows us to retain connection to endemic species on our land. Working alongside OneFortyOne, we’re demonstrating how commercial forestry and conservation of indigenous species can coexist,” said Dayveen.

The Department of Conservation has provided technical expertise for the sanctuary project. Powelliphanta specialist Ruth Cole explains why these snails need protecting.

“This particular species of Powelliphanta are found only on the upper slopes of the Bryant and Richmond ranges in the top of the South Island near Nelson, giving it high value as a local endemic.

Our native species evolved separately from the rest of the world for millions of years and aren’t found anywhere else. These aren’t your garden variety snails – they’re carnivorous giants that can live for decades but are seriously threatened by predation, habitat loss and climate change.

They’re now an endangered species, classified as Nationally Critical, and they need management to survive. If they go from the region, they’re gone forever,” Ruth explained.

“What makes this collaboration with OneFortyOne special is seeing a forestry company take such proactive steps to protect a species many people might overlook. These snails play an important role in our forest ecosystems and their shells tell an extraordinary evolutionary story unique to Aotearoa.”

“There’s limited research on land snail habitat in plantation forests, with most previous studies focused on native forests. This sanctuary provides a great opportunity to expand our understanding of how these species can benefit from management in different environments. The anecdotal evidence suggesting pine plantations might provide suitable habitat is interesting from a research perspective.”

The sanctuary is one of several biodiversity initiatives OneFortyOne has undertaken as part of its commitment to sustainable forestry practices.

“Many people might be surprised to find this level of conservation effort within a commercial forestry operation, but for us, it’s simply part of being responsible forest managers,” added Jo.

“This project shows how commercial forestry, conservation, and iwi can work together to achieve positive environmental outcomes.”