MEDIA RELEASE

1 May 2013

Biodiversity funding distributed around Canterbury

Environment Canterbury today announced it has recently allocated over $280,000 of funding to biodiversity projects across the region through the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS) Immediate Steps Fund, Environment Canterbury’s Biodiversity Fund and the Honda Treefund.

Biodiversity Team Leader Jo Abbott says 27 projects were granted funding of over $173,000 through the Biodiversity Fund and the Honda Treefund. “These projects will protect and enhance a wide variety of ecosystem types and help achieve the goals of the CWMS and Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy,” Dr Abbott said. Seven Honda Treefund projects were funded.

Since the CWMS Immediate Steps programme started in 2010, funding has been allocated to over 120 projects. “These projects contribute to native tree planting, pest and stock exclusion fencing plus other initiatives including weed control pest control and fish habitat protection across the region,” Dr Abbott said.

So far this financial year Environment Canterbury has allocated funding of over $1.18 million to a wide variety of projects in wetlands, hill country catchments, lowland streams and dryland ecosystems.

“This will help Cantabrians to protect and restore valued biodiversity by funding pest and stock exclusion fencing of over 21 kilometres and planting more than 33,000 native plants from projects approved in March alone,” Dr Abbott said.

The Christchurch West Melton CWMS Zone committee recently allocated over $74,000 of Immediate Steps funding to support stock fencing, weed control and planting projects in regionally significant wetlands and waterways.

The Waimakariri CWMS Zone Committee granted over $22,000 of Immediate Steps funds to four projects which seek to protect and restore the ecological value of existing wetlands, lakes and protect braided river birds.

The Upper Waitaki zone committee allocated $12,000 of Immediate Steps funds to two projects, one to undertake wilding pine control in an intermontane basin wetland and the other to fence an intermontane stream and associated wetland.

Dr Abbott said she was impressed with the general standard of funding applications and how many valuable contributions people in Canterbury are making towards enhancement and protection of our biodiversity.

If you have a biodiversity project for which you would like funding or advice, contact the Environment Canterbury Biodiversity Team on 0800 324 636. More information – www.ecan.govt.nz/biodiversity

Background

Environment Canterbury is involved in allocating funds from three separate biodiversity funding strands:

1 Biodiversity Fund - Environment Canterbury allocates some $400,000 a year to a range of important biodiversity projects across the Canterbury region. Funding is targeted towards the highest priority on-the-ground actions aimed at protecting and restoring the region’s biodiversity within a variety of ecosystem types, including wetlands, drylands, lowland streams and native vegetation remnants.

2 The Immediate Steps programme is a key component of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy. Through this fund, $1.24 million is allocated to projects annually. Contributions are required from third parties. The programme aims for the protection of ecosystems and habitats to conserve indigenous freshwater diversity. Projects allocated funding will reflect the principles of the Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy and ki uta ki tai – “From the mountains to the sea”. CWMS Zone Committees decide the priorities for their zone and significant funding is also available to the Regional Committee to support regionally significant biodiversity projects.

3 Environment Canterbury also allocates grants on behalf of the Honda TreeFund, including to school projects. Honda sponsors 10 native trees to be planted for every new car sold, with another three funded by local Honda dealers.

ENDS

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