Funding approved for pest control

A $150,000 fillip will help a school pupil-led project tackle pests in large tracts of land near the Kepler track, in Fiordland.

The Kids Restore New Zealand organisation has confirmed its sponsorship of the The Kids Restore the Kepler project, a scheme to reduce pests in 3000ha of the Kepler area.

The $220,000 project was launched recently in Te Anau by pupils from Fiordland College and Te Anau Primary School.

The pupils will work with the Department of Conservation (Doc) and the Fiordland Conservation Trust in a staged push to restore the Kepler area to its pre-pest state, trust manager Rachel Cockburn said.

Stage one, installing and monitoring pest traps in the most easily accessible parts of the Kepler area, would give way to two further stages in the future.

Kids Restore New Zealand, whose projects were funded by the Air New Zealand Environment Trust, provided the lion's share of the project money and community fundraising would provide the rest, Mrs Cockburn said.

Fiordland College pupil Emma McLean (15) said the project taught pupils new skills, enabling them to take care of their environment and enhance its sustainability, while Doc Te Anau area manager Reg Kemper said controlling stoats, rats and possums would increase the flora and fauna.

Southland Mayor Frana Cardno said it was an exciting project and a chance for the region's young people to show their leadership.

Kids Restore New Zealand trustee Ruud Kleinpaste said "without a healthy biodiversity we have no hope for prolonged human life in Fiordland or on the planet. So we must restore our biodiversity before we do anything else".