B-1 - Area 1, Coromandel Forest Park – Assessment of Environmental Effects 6 Flora and fauna identified in the Biodiversity Project Area in the recent past include common and uncommon species such as kohekohe, pōhutukawa, kauri, northern rātā, tūrepo (large-leaved milk tree), North Island brown kiwi, kererū (New Zealand pigeon), pekapeka (long-tailed bat), Archey’s frog, Hochstetter’s frog and pua o te reinga (woodrose, Dactylanthus). Some of these species still persist there while others may have disappeared locally or be patchily distributed at low density. The Biodiversity Project Area is in the Waihi Ecological District, an area of approximately 43,700 ha located at the southern end of the Coromandel Range and northern end of the Kaimai Range, with the Ohinemuri River catchment between and includes the east coast between Whangamatā and Waihi Beach. The Waihi Ecological District encompasses the Otahu Ecological Area. As set out in The Ecology Company (2022), this area is located 29 km south-east of Thames and north of Area 1. Notice was given on 25 March 1976 of the gazettal of the 392 ha “Otahu Dedicated Area” “for the purposes of protection, maintenance and management of trees and other plants, and for the protection of native wildlife and for scientific purposes consistent with the proper use and management of State forest land" pursuant to s15 of the Forests Act 1949. After gazettal, the Otahu Ecological Area was enlarged for conservation management purposes, and now covers 655 ha including a complete catchment, has high vegetation values and includes podocarp-hardwood forest dominated by tawa, towai, rata, rimu, miro, Hall’s totara and rewarewa with occasional tawari as well as dense ricker and pole kauri forest and manuka shrubland with regenerating kauri.
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