Kelly’s Conservation Forest is a biodiversity gem. Home to over a hundred different endemic species of plant, as well as native birds, lizards, insects and fish, this is truly a special place. Kelly’s Conservation Forest is also one of the few, easily accessible forest remnants in the Nelson city boundary. It is not only classified as a Significant Natural Area (SNA-113) but one that has a “high rarity score”.

Each year over 1500 visitors visit Kelly’s Conservation Forest during their free community open days to experience what Nelson would’ve been like two hundred years ago. This project also supports the development of our future environmental leaders, including local schools, NMIT trainee rangers and Project Moturoa students, by providing real-life “hands-on” learning opportunities.

Over the past 40 years, there has been a consistent and passionate effort to expand the original bush area so that Kelly’s Conservation Forest is now over 15ha in size. There have been trails, picnic areas and bridges built so that the community can easily access this special place.

Kelly’s Conservation Forest also provides a place for the local community to connect with nature on a more regular basis; by volunteering in the small onsite nursery to propagate and grow natives, by planting trees, helping with plant maintenance or participating in supporting the project in variety of other ways. Kelly’s Conservation Forest is a welcoming place of connection for our local community with nature and with each other.

The vision of Kelly’s Conservation Forest is “To protect, nurture and expand these 15 hectares of native forest and wetland and share it with the people of Nelson for conservation, education and recreation.”

Find more information here.