Environment Southland has been granted $370,000 for a two-year climate adaptation project aimed at identifying ways of better protecting high flood-risk areas in Southland.
The funding is from the Ministry for the Environment’s Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Adaptation Fund.
Nature-based solutions include various combinations of wetlands as water retention, floodplains, riparian areas, river meanders, soil structure to retain more water, forest cover and vegetation cover.
Environment Southland catchment operations manager Randal Beal said the Murihiku Slow the Flow Project provided an opportunity for a collective approach to understanding the feasibility of nature-based climate adaptation solutions to reduce the impact on high flood-risk areas of Southland.
Some parts of Southland were prone to significant flood events, the most recent of note being the Mataura catchment flooding in early February 2020, which resulted in the evacuation of more than 4500 people from their homes.
"Due to the high risk of flooding to several communities across Murihiku Southland, there is appetite to speed up the process of identifying possible adaptation solutions," Mr Beal said.
The project has four objectives — the first is fostering a co-design approach between Te Ao Mārama Inc and the councils of Southland to define the problems and identify possible mitigations and sites.
After collecting and analysing relevant information and data from sites, comprehensive feasibility studies of the selected nature-based solutions options would take place, Mr Beal said.
The final objective was to establish a climate adaptation "community of learning" that engaged and involved the local community, including catchment liaison committees and catchment groups, in exploring the opportunities, benefits and barriers associated with the identified nature-based solutions options, he said.
The Murihiku Slow the Flow Project is scheduled to be completed by June, 2025. The work will contribute to the regional adaptation pathway that reflects the development of climate change responses for the region.
