Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group's "towards a pest-free peninsula" project has been successful in gaining nearly $125,000 for work in "sector four", the area on the peninsula closest to the suburbs of Waverley and Shiel Hill.
Project manager Richard Wilson said he was pleased with the success of an application to the Environment Ministry's community environment fund which granted the project $67,000 for the "knock down" work from Portobello back to "town", including farmland and the periphery of the suburbs.
"That is a real bonus for us."
That, added to $40,000 from the Department of Conservation for control work on Doc reserves on the peninsula, and $17,866 from the Speight's Environment Fund for the community trapping project meant, between now and Christmas, an integrated possum control programme could begin, he said.
The funding showed the group had proven it was capable of "knocking down" possum numbers successfully, he said.
"Mop up" work in sectors one to three - Cape Saunders, Taiaroa Head, Clark's/Sheppard's Hill - where more than 3000 possums were removed from about 4200ha last year, could begin this year because of a New Zealand Lotteries Board grant of $76,000.
This year's work would involve extending the community trapping volunteer programme, which had removed about 250 possums.
It would extend into each of the peninsula settlements, and contractors would approach households to take part.
A trap would need to go into every fifth or sixth property for the programme to be successful, Mr Wilson said.
A variety of control options would be used, including poisoning and live-capture traps.
To back up the eradication work, environmental monitoring of bird life, vegetation and rodents was also being undertaken to judge its effect.
