A reported goat sighting in the Western Whakatāne Coastal Recreation Reserve is raising concerns about a threat to a unique species of kanuka, the only one of its kinds in the world.

The sighting – near the end of Walker Road in Thornton – was in an area where stock have been excluded to protect one of the District's important biodiversity features.

Goats have been sighted in the Western Whakatane Coastal Recreation Reserve.

Whakatāne District Council Technical Advisor Fiona Hennessey has asked residents in the area who own goats to urgently check on the whereabouts of their livestock.

'The coastal strip between the Whakatāne and Tarawera Rivers is the only place in the world that these trees grow and like many native species, they are particularly vulnerable to damage from browsing animals.

'Local residents are asked to check on any pet goats immediately, as control action will be taken by goat hunters within the next few days.”

Fiona says herding browsers such as goats cause two-fold damage by eating native plants and trampling large areas of vegetation and compactable soils.

'Goats will eat the foliage of most trees and plants and quickly destroy all vegetation within their reach, including seedlings and saplings.

'Goats will also strip bark off trees and by eating young seedlings, they effectively put a stop to forest regeneration.

'The possibility of goats grazing in one of the area's densest areas of kanuka is potentially disastrous and that's why we are taking urgent action to remove the threat.”