Bees & Trees Honey is committed to sustainable development in the community where we produce our honey. We recently helped Native Forest Restoration Trust (a conservation trust located in our neck of the woods) purchase property which will be managed for long term restoration of the native ecosystems. In addition to providing a great place for us to locate our beehives to produce Manuka Honey, this land will provide important wildlife habitat and other important environmental services.
The following is taken from their recent Facebook post just after they closed on the purchase of this land:
"Great news, settlement is now complete and our Omoana Bush reserve has just been extended by a further 226ha, taking it to 560ha!
Omoana Bush, and this area as a whole, has been identified by the Taranaki Regional Council as a Key Native Ecosystem (KNE) due to its high indigenous biodiversity values. This means that the ‘Omoana Bush’ KNE contains regionally significant ecosystems and species.
This purchase wouldn't have been possible without the ongoing support and generosity of our supporters. A special thank you goes out to local beekeeper Mike Everly, Bees & Trees Manuka Honey, for bringing the property to our attention and exploring partnership options. Mike's involvement provided the catalyst and much needed financial support for the purchase to proceed.
Omoana Bush is located 35km east of Eltham, towards the Matemateonga Ranges; a head catchment of the Patea River. More information on Omoana Bush can be found here: http://www.nfrt.org.nz/reserve/omoana-bush"
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