The closing date for this year’s round (July 2023 - June 2024) is 30 April 2023.
The fund focuses on protecting and improving the biodiversity which arlready exists on your property, rather than creating new areas like new wetlands or riparian buffers.
Southland has lots of special native species and ecosystems that are at risk from animal pests, weeds, drainage and development. Environment Southland is committed to supporting communities and individuals who want to combat these threats and help restore our precious environment.
Examples of actions supported by the fund include:
- pest animal and weed control
- fencing
- work to restore the natural flow of water
- native planting and plant maintenance.
The fund has been boosted by Jobs for Nature, and now provides up to $300,000 per year for the next four years. The increase in funding is part of our Biodiversity Action on the Ground programme, which received $4.25m from the Ministry for the Environment through Jobs for Nature in 2020.
For more details and to apply, go to: https://www.es.govt.nz/about-us/funding-and-support/environmental-enhancement-fund
The Environment Southland Biodiversity team looks forward to hearing from you!
Posted on: Tuesday, 7 March 2023
Environment Southland, along with friends from Invercargill City Council, hosted more than 100 intrepid explorers at the Thomsons Bush Discovery Day last Thursday. It was great to see so many families learning about native birds, pests, and ecosystems in this special kahikatea forest remnant in the middle of our town.
The sausage sizzle was a big success, and there was a self guided wicked-weeds walk, taxidermered pest-animals to look at alonside their tracking-tunnel footprints, a ‘learn your birds’ station, and ecology themed giant-jenga.
Staff from Environment Southland, along with families, were observed frantically applying sunscreen, drinking water, and loudly commending the shade-giving properties of Kahikatea throughout the day.
Posted on: Thursday, 2 February 2023
In November SERN held a fabulous Fiordland Focus weekend in Te anau - visiting Pomona and Rona Islands and other projects - read all about it here
Posted on: Monday, 19 December 2022
The Education Centre and property was the venue for the latest two day NMIT Trapping Workshop on 19-20 October. Under Tutor Steve Price, ten participants went through the detail of planning a pest trapping operation, pest species characteristics and behaviours, legal requirements, trap types and operation and then sessions in the field setting out traplines with hip chain and compass and setting up a variety of mustelid, rat and possum traps in the bush. Steve was assisted by Kate Hamilton and Tim Exton from DOC who also brought with them a variety of new traps and tools for people to get hand-on experience with. With the indoor and outdoor settings the Community Nursery is a good location to run practical courses like this. Watch out for more courses like this being run in the future. The biodiversity based courses are run through DOC and available by booking - https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/training/field-based-courses/
Posted on: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
An opportunity to attend the NMIT/DOC two day Trapping Course on 19-20 October 22 based at the Community Nursery, Otatara - there are a few places left but you will need to book through NMIT as per the poster
More information available about the course - https://www.nmit.ac.nz/study/short-courses/prt301-predator-trapping-methods/
Posted on: Wednesday, 5 October 2022
