Thames Privet Trials

The hills behind Thames should be covered in native forest. Instead, large areas are dominated by privet, a fast-spreading invasive tree that blocks sunlight, suppresses native plants, prevents natural regeneration, and contributes to health issues for local residents.

As a community, we want to change that.

The Thames Environmental Alliance has already commissioned and funded a professional ecological trial plan. This sets out a five-year, science-led programme to understand how we can restore these hills back to native bush at scale. Not just removing privet, but learning what actually works to bring the forest back. What grows, what doesn’t, and how much effort it takes.

We are working in partnership with local Māori landowners to carry out this work with care and respect for the whenua.

This is about doing it properly. Small, controlled trial sites. Measured results. Real data we can use to unlock larger funding and restore much bigger areas over time.

But we need to start somewhere. Your support will help fund the first stage of this work. Setting up trial sites, killing the privet canopy, and monitoring what happens next.

This is a long-term project. But it starts with this first step.

Help us bring the Thames hills back to life.