GDC Eco-Corridor

What is the Eco-Corridor?

Watch our introduction video here, made by James Harbour and Alexander Scrymgeour

The Eco-Corridor

Located at the back Glendowie College's field, the GDC Ecological Corridor is a regeneration project to restore native bushland on the college grounds. As part of the Eastern Bays Songbird Project, students at Glendowie College have been removing weeds and planting native trees in this area since 2022. We have seen outstanding progress since then, and we are continually working to enrich the site for generations to come.

Why Build an Eco-Corridor?

The biodiversity of our planet has been significantly impacted by human activity. By building an ecological corridor, we are creating a place for native plants and animals to thrive, restoring the impacted biodiversity. This video explains why biodiversity is so important.

What Are Our Aims?

As the Sustainability Group at Glendowie College, we have a number of objectives for this project going forward:

Creating a flourishing habitat for native birds and insects, connecting in with the Eastern Bays Songbird Project Ecological Corridors report (which can be viewed here).
Connecting students at the college with opportunities to learn about and enrich the natural environment within the school grounds.
Trapping pest animals which may impact on bird or insect life in the ecological corridor.
Develop a long term plan to expand the ecological corridor in collaboration with the community, iwi, students and staff.
Find opportunties for authentic learning experience connected with the school's curriculum objectives.
Make meaningful impact on the environment which will benefit the ecology of Aotearoa New Zealand and the global climate.

Who Are the People Behind This Project?

The students of Glendowie College, in particular members of the Sustainability Group have been creating their legacy through this project since 2022. The project would not have been possible without the support of Michelle Brinsden from Eastern Bays Songbird Project, and the Teacher in Charge of the Sustainability Group, Mr Aidan Wallace. The project has had strong support from the Glendowie College Board, as well as Principal Gordon Robertson, and Business Manager Lisa Davis-Miller. Many staff and students regularly participate in weeding and planting events. We are extremely grateful to all these people for their support.

Progress: How Far Have We Come?

16 June 2022
9JUN students help Mr Wallace bring plants across the field for a tree planting event.

18 June 2022
Tree planting event on a Saturday morning, planting around 400 trees into the hillside.

16 November 2022
Weeding event showed trees released before school holidays.

After a long wet summer, the Ecological Corridor was overgrown with weeds at the start of 2023. With effort from the Sustainability Group, the trees were released.