Makarewa Headwaters Catchment Group co-chairman and dairy support farmer Mark Thomson, of Lora Gorge, said the group was "absolutely elated" to be given a $10,000 grant from the latest funding round of the Westpac Water Care Project, a joint initiative between the bank and the New Zealand Landcare Trust.
"It is awesome."
The group had been given the same grant once before to launch its Makarewa Headwaters Revival Project in 2022.
An aim of the first phase of the project is to understand the impact of the feral animals in the catchment’s side of the Hokonui Hills.
The findings include red deer, fallow deer and feral pigs are "running rampant" in the catchment and damaging the environment, such as eating native bush.
"The threat is it is going tocollapse on itself because itisn’t naturally regenerating."
To reveal if the pest control is working, funding will be used to build several "exclusion plots", 20m by 20m deer-fenced areas, in the hills.
Fencing will exclude the pests so native bush can thrive and be compared to vegetation outside the plots to show the effectiveness of the project.
All of the exclusion plots will be installed by February next year.
Mr Thomson acknowledged the support of Thriving Southland and praised the work of charities Deer to Care and We Hunt Food Charitable Trust.
About 90% of landowners in the catchment supported the project.
"We have a very clear mandate to get stuck in and do this."
