Of the $200,000 annual Christchurch Biodiversity Fund for initiatives that protect and enhance indigenous biodiversity, $131,304 still needs council approval for the seven new projects.
The Fund is provided for under the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan, and is aligned with the Council’s strategic framework.
Below are each of the seven location projects and their respective funded project information:
View Hill Bluffs $40,000 - This project includes an area of approximately 42 hectares of land requiring fencing to stop farm stock from accessing rocky bluff outcrops and protect waterways.
Luke Thelning Reserve $21,440 - 1km of fencing is required to protect a waterway and native vegetation covering the riparian corridor.
Goughs Bay $17,737 - In need of fencing to help exclude farm stock from accessing a block of indigenous riparian forrest connecting headwaters of on a neighbouring property to the main stem of Goughs Bay Stream.
Little Akaloa Headwaters $4,000 - Involves the purchase and maintenance of automated possum traps across the entire property.
Port Levy $11,229 - Aims to enhance the biodiversity values across the entire property by excluding farm stock and establishing a possum control programme.
Ohinetahi - Summit Road Society $16,907 - Funds control of spur valerian on rocky outcrops to protect indigenous vegetation.
Mt Evans spur valerian control $19,991 - Funds control of spur valerian on rocky outcrops to protect indigenous vegetation.
Three Waters Infrastructure and Environment Committee Chairperson Councillor, Pauline Cotter, says the Fund supports necessary and game-changing measures to protect the environment. All seven projects are integral to the survival of indigenous species.
"Spur valerian – an invasive plant that threatens New Zealand’s biodiversity – requires an innovative approach to control.
"As an isolated country for many years, New Zealand’s ill-prepared flora has wilted as invasive flora and fauna have spread across the landscape.
"These invaders are a huge threat to our indigenous species, choking flora and, in turn, endangering fauna.''
Cotter says the council is partnering with landowners to act swiftly to ensure that "biodiversity thrives in our own backyard”.
It is more effective to be proactive than reactive in tackling non-indigenous environmental threats head-on, she says, and important to build up defences against invasive species – from possums to spur valerian.
