Biodiversity projects in the Upper Waitaki and Mackenzie Basin have received a funding boost of more than $50,000 to help protect the area's wetlands and waterways from wilding pine encroachment and stock damage.
Over the past two months Environment Canterbury (ECan) allocated almost $320,000 to fund biodiversity projects across the region, through the Canterbury Water Management Strategy (CWMS) Immediate Steps Fund, Environment Canterbury's Biodiversity Fund and the Honda Treefund, including three projects in the Mackenzie district.
ECan biodiversity team leader Dr Jo Abbott said all the projects would protect and enhance ''a wide variety'' of ecosystems. A total of $38,400 of Immediate Steps Fund money would be used to fence a 6.4km waterway at Mailbox Creek to exclude sheep and cattle from a spring system that fed a small Department of Conservation-owned lagoon near Lake Tekapo.
Dr Abbott said although it was ''rare'' to get a complete spring system fenced, the springs fed into an ecologically important lagoon that supported black stilt.
''The springs are important habitat for native fish. Bignose galaxiid, lake-locked koaro and other native fish have been recorded.''
The Upper Waitaki CWMS zone committee allocated $13,300 of Immediate Steps funds to two other projects - one to fence an intermontane stream and associated wetland in the lower Maryburn area, and a second to undertake wilding pine control at a 30ha wetland in Upper Wairepo.
Simons Hill Station owner Glenn Fastier said a $5300 grant would fund a six-month project to fence a stream, and added the project was a ''positive'' sign of co-operation between landowners in the Maryburn catchment and the Upper Waitaki CWMS committee.
Doc Upper Wairepo Wetland project manager Peter Willemse said an $8000 grant would be used to cut down wilding pines that had invaded a newly discovered wetland on private property.
If left in place, the wilding pines would drain the wetland completely, Mr Willemse said.
''It is in a tenure review state of getting some sort of protection. This will be an early step to ensure that what we do is protected for a long time.''
