Councillors will tomorrow be asked to endorse the draft strategy for public consultation.
‘‘Otago’s extraordinary mix of alpine, freshwater, lowland and marine ecosystems is in crisis as a result of threats like invasive pests, habitat loss and climate change,’’ the draft said.
Rabbits and wilding pines were reshaping landscapes and damaging soil health.
Freshwater and marine pests - such as didymo, lagarosiphon and exotic seaweeds - were pushing out native species and undermining recreation and tourism values.
These relatively new threats were compounding historical pressures on the natural environment from urban expansion, irrigation and hydro-generation, the draft said.
In Otago, 20% of native birds, 97% of lizards and 40% of plants were now classed as threatened or at risk of local extinction.
A range of ecosystem types were now found ‘‘at only a fraction of their pre-human extent’’.
‘‘Climate change will intensify these threats and increase the occurrence of new pests.
‘‘Efforts to arrest the decline are fragmented across agencies and initiatives, with no single mechanism co-ordinating action, measuring cumulative effects or aligning investment at landscape scale.’’
However, the draft also noted some work was under way in the region to stop the loss of indigenous biodiversity.
And there was a growing interest in investing in indigenous biodiversity enhancement.
‘‘Biodiversity loss is not inevitable. But reversing current trends will require clear priorities, sustained commitment, and co-ordination across the many groups and sectors who have a part to play.’’
It outlined six high-level outcomes the council aimed to achieve by 2040, or before, including stopping the loss of species and ecosystems.
A staff report for tomorrow’s meeting said design work on the draft would be completed next month, before a four-week public consultation period. Feedback from the consultation would be analysed, with guidance from the council’s ‘‘biodiversity strategy reference group’’.
A final strategy would then be prepared and presented to council for adoption before the end of June next year.
