MARTIN DE RUYTER
The “Have you seen this?” page on the Project Janszoon Abel Tasman mobile phone app.
Visitors in the Abel Tasman National Park can now help with its restoration by reporting sightings of native birds and predators
An “observation function” has been added to the Abel Tasman Virtual Visitor Centre smart phone app.
Project Janszoon operations manager Andrew Macalister said the new “Have you seen this?” section of the app would be useful in making decisions about park management and predator control.
“This is a way of getting everyone, from school groups and overseas visitors to experienced scientists, to help us in the restoration of Abel Tasman.”
By submitting observations, Project Janszoon could better understand the distribution of birds in the park and plan for targeted pest and weed control.
The smart phone app added GPS co-ordinates of observations and allowed for photos to be included.
“What we are looking for initially is information on the distribution of threatened species such as robin, kaka, kakariki and mistletoe, and on the presence of a range of unwanted pests like goats, pigs, Gunnera, climbing asparagus and sycamore,” said Department of Conservation senior biodiversity ranger Jim Livingstone.
The free smart phone app can be downloaded by searching for Abel Tasman National Park on the App or Google Play stores. It also includes information on tides, weather, points of interest, history, birds and plants.
