Waihi North Project: Assessment of Terrestrial Ecological Values & Effects 62138 WNP AEE 25 Overall, the avifauna community at the wider site, and in the planted and SNA 166 vegetation in particular, are common and largely exotic species whose “Value” can be considered between Negligible and Low. 4.3 OVERVIEW OF LIZARDS RECORDED THROUGHOUT WAIHI ECOLOGICAL DISTRICT AND THE WNP AREA A review of lizard records in the Waihi ED (ARDS bioweb, accessed May, 2020) indicates that copper skink, shore skink, forest gecko and green gecko all occur within 5 km of SNA 166. Orokawa Scenic Reserve holds records for forest gecko (2019) and green gecko (2006). Shore skink are strictly a coastal species and have been recorded at Waihi Beach (2012). Lizard species recorded from within and around the WNP area (Figure 10) include ‘At Risk- declining’ copper skink and ‘At-Risk – relict’ moko skink (Hitchmough et al. 2021). During the surveys which informed this assessment, copper skinks were recorded from the proposed Gladstone Pit area, Union Hill and Favona wetland. Moko skinks were recorded from north facing vegetation edges of both fragments of SNA 166 and a pine block east of the NRS (between the two fragments of SNA 166). The early record of Moko skink within the boundaries of the SNA 166 southern fragment, were found in the open track edge habitat and not under canopy within the “forest cover”. The presence of copper skink lends “high” value rating to the specific habitat it uses, and the presence of Moko skink lends a “Moderate” value rating. Copper skink was reclassified as “At Risk- declining” (previously “Not Threatened”) in October 2021.
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