Tasman’s wetlands and freshwater fish stocks are benefiting from an almost $5 million partnership to rejuvenate key habitats over the next five years.
Under the Freshwater Improvement Fund (FIF) which is part of the Jobs for Nature programme, Tasman District Council and Ministry for the Environment have signed off on a $4.85 million allocation for two key projects.
$3.1 million has been allocated to the Tasman Wetlands project to control weeds, plant natives and restore natural hydrological regimes in 40 natural wetlands.
Another $1.75 million has been approved for restoring in-stream structures to facilitate fish passage throughout the Tasman District.
Council's senior resource scientist Trevor James will lead the work, which is being conducted in partnership with iwi and is expected to get underway in spring.
“It is great to see the work get underway and turn around the degradation that is happening in so many wetlands and freshwater fish communities of our region,” he said.
Much of the activity in the wetlands project will focus on pest plant control.
Trevor says priority has been given to wetlands currently showing relatively low numbers of willow or other transformative pests but were likely to “explode” and form willow forest which has very low value to our native wildlife.
An example of this occurring was Machine Gully, west of Tasman township, where natural wetland vegetation had died out and many species of marsh birds had left the area.
The fish migration project will improve fish diversity and abundance by restoring fish passage in over 4,000 in-stream structures.
New regulations brought in under the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 required Council to assess in-stream structures for fish passage.
These include culverts, weirs, dams, and water intakes that migratory fish cannot climb or swim over.
Council is also required to put in place an action plan to ensure fish passage all such structures unless there is a resource consent that explicitly allows for the structure.
Council has almost completed assessing and remediating its own in-stream structures.
It is understood that many private landowners and forestry companies are well on the way to doing the same.
Director – Operations at Ministry for the Environment Sara Clarke said central to the new essential freshwater package is the principle of Te Mana o Te Wai, putting the health of freshwater first
“It’s great to see that the Jobs for Nature funding can support projects that are upholding Te Mana o Te Wai by restoring wetlands and ensuring native fish can get up and down streams and rivers as part of their natural lifecycle,” she said.
The funding for this project ensures that there would be no cost to landowners unless there is a need for culvert upsizing or significant modification, in which case a cost-sharing arrangement will be discussed.
Trevor says working in partnership with iwi and creating employment opportunities were also important outcomes from the projects.
He was also grateful for the support of farmers and private landowners within the area so far.
Manawhenua ki Mohua, representing Ngati Tama, Ngati Rārua and Te Ātiawa in Golden Bay, have developed a work plan under these projects.
“This is an exciting and positive project, which will support whānau to revive and promote traditional Māori knowledge and practices associated with freshwater environments,” MKM Pouārahi/Manager Ursula Passl says.
“It will also create opportunities for rangatahi to engage in restoring degraded habitats, which are important for taonga species.”
The $1.245 billion Jobs for Nature programme is a Government initiative, creating nature-based jobs to benefit the environment and support the economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.
As an overview to the project, Trevor has put together a series of videos.
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