Alliance has conservation in its sights across the top of the south

Friday, 28 June 2019

The Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, formed by groups in the top of the south, has a strategy for achieving significant conservation gains across the greater region.

The top of the South Island is set for a shake up in its conservation after a number of groups have teamed up to maintain and restore its natural landscapes.

Launched by a dawn blessing on Friday, the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance includes Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough, Buller and Kaikōura councils, the West Coast Regional Council, a number of iwi in the region and the Department of Conservation, all providing environmental leadership and co-ordination to protect and enhance the wider region's diverse flora and fauna.

Tasman district mayor Richard Kempthorne said the initiative was a 'tremendous opportunity for some large conservation efforts'.

He said one of the projects was to kill off wilding conifer.

* TSB Community Trust signs memorandum of understanding with Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga**

'They're a serious problem up and down the country. If they're left unchecked they will continue to grow and spread and completely dominate the natural landscape, and it's a real problem.'

The only way to stop them spreading was to eradicate them, Kempthorne said.

He said the task would be 'a big effort', using all the work of the alliance along with assistance from the forestry industry.

Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance independent chair and DOC partnerships director, Martin Rodd, said the alliance and its strategy was focussed on enabling landscape-scale conservation projects that have environmental, social, economic and cultural benefits.

The alliance will provide environmental leadership to protect the terrain and wildlife from coast to coast.

The top of the south's countryside is home to hundreds of native plant and animal species, including some unique to the region. It also includes vast areas of beech forest, eastern dryland, alpine hinterland, the sheltered sounds of Marlborough, freshwater catchments and varied marine environments.

Rodd said the alliance's role would include 'identifying, prioritising and integrating conservation, attracting investment and resources for new conservation work, providing advice and support to conservation projects, and linking new projects with existing projects'.

'Core to the strategy is combining science with mātauranga Māori, Māori knowledge and values, recognising the interconnected relationship between the spiritual world, the natural world and people.'

Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trust chair, Brendan Wilson said iwi looked forward to achieving significant outcomes across the wider top of the south area, which may not have been possible without the collaboration.

The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage welcomed the new initiative.

Wilding conifer eradication is high on the agenda. This image from 2018 shows the work done at Torea Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

She said the top of the South Island was home to distinctive landscapes and special species including the Powelliphanta snail (giant land snail), kawau/King shag, and Cook Strait tuatara which were found nowhere else in the world.

'They need the best support possible. The partnership and the collaborative working arrangements which the strategy encourages can help achieve better outcomes for nature.

'Thousands of people are drawn to the stunning landscapes across the northern South Island each year. I congratulate the region's councils, iwi and DOC on this new collective approach to restoring ecosystems to a naturally-functioning state and enabling native species within them to thrive.

Five iwi have committed to the Alliance and Strategy including Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trust, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia Trust, Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust, Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Trust, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae. A number of other iwi in the wider region are also considering committing to the initiative.