Conservation Partnerships

Ulva's Guided Walks supports a variety of local conservation initiatives; conservation is at the very heart of all that we do!

Ulva's Guided Walks supports the Ulva Island Charitable Trust who works together with the Department of Conservation to keep Ulva Island free of introduced pests and predators. The Trust also champions enhancement projects on the island for future generations to enjoy.

By choosing Ulva's Guided Walks you help us to support Gadget, a specially trained rodent detector dog. Detector Gadget is part of the Conservation Dogs Programme and lives on Stewart Island. He helps us to keep Ulva Island free of introduced pests and predators.
Find out what Detector Gadget has been up to lately!

You can also read all about Predator Free Rakiura, the non-profit alliance led by a diverse collaboration of iwi, government, business, organisations and community representatives who believe that our people and nature will be enriched by the removal of predators from Rakiura Stewart Island.

Those that choose to participate in one of our kiwi spotting tours are directly supporting the Mamaku Point Conservation Trust.
The trust manages the Mamaku Conservation Reserve where Ulva's Guided Walks has exclusive access for kiwi spotting tours. The reserve is a rugged 172-hectare headland, located just 4km from the Oban township of Stewart Island. It contains an extraordinary variety of flora, including some of the oldest native podocarp forest in the country and is a thriving habitat to over 181 native species, including 26 native bird species, 154 native plant species, long tailed bats, invertebrates, marine mammals, and a thriving population of kiwi. The reserve is protected by a predator-proof fence that extends across the 2.1km neck of the headland, as well as an extensive trapping programme both inside and outside the predator-proof fence.
Donations contribute towards maintaining and enhancing biodiversity within the reserve - including the ongoing predator control costs and native plantings.

Ulva's Guided Walks is a proud business member of the 'sponsor a hectare' programme, run by the Stewart Island/Rakiura Community and Environment Trust. This sponsorship initiative was set up to raise funds and support for their Halfmoon Bay Restoration Project, which aims to provide a 250 hectare open sanctuary near to the Oban township, where native flora and fauna can thrive. Intensive predator control and species monitoring are undertaken, primarily by volunteers.