In the Environment Court on Tuesday, Omarama farmer Dannie McAughtrie was found guilty of clearing more than 5000sq m of native vegetation between August 2018 and August 2019.
The Willowburn Farms owner was charged under section nine of the Resource Management Act and was in breach of the Waitaki district plan’s site development standard.
A sentencing date was yet to be set.
Forest and Bird Otago regional conservation manager Rick Zwaan said the Waitaki District Council was one of the very few councils in New Zealand that pursued prosecution where there had been illegal habitat destruction, but more proactive monitoring was needed.
The extra work could include on-site visits, and regular aerial and satellite imagery to view vegetation coverage changes, he said.
"Ultimately the onus needs to be on landholders to follow the rules that are there to protect important native wildlife that all Kiwis value. However, consistent checks and enforcement by council are also needed to protect native plants, birds and critters that are important to all of us," Mr Zwaan said.
"We’ve already had centuries of losing significant tracts of native vegetation throughout Waitaki district and the wider Otago region — it’s time to do all we can to protect what we’ve got left and start
regenerating areas."
He hoped the sentence issued would be sufficient and would send a deterrent signal to other land owners considering clearing threatened native plants.
Waitaki District Council acting heritage, environment and regulatory group manager Roger Cook said incidents could be reported in several ways, including by the public and council staff.
While getting the right outcome in this case was positive, it came with mixed feelings.
It was disappointing the council was forced into legal proceedings, but it was prepared to take action for the community.
"It’s also sad when we get to that stage because what we are trying to protect is gone — it’s been lost forever," Mr Cook said.
Staff would rather spend time educating and working with people, than taking them to court.
"They just need to engage with us. We can take the risk, and the stress out of it for land owners and hopefully, at the same time protect the precious landscape we have in the district."
The council was working through several other similar cases, and all were at various stages of their investigations, he said.
