Community-focused Fiordland project knocks back pest plants
Simon Marwick with some of the cotoneaster removed from properties around Te Anau.
Kylie says the project was intended to be bridging income for people in tourism while borders were closed, and the timing has been perfect.
“Everyone’s busy now and everything’s back to normal, so it was bang on.”
Environment Southland biosecurity team leader pest plants, Jolie Hazley says the Te Anau and Manapōuri communities have been hugely supportive and got right behind the project — and she wanted to thank them for their efforts.
About 15-20 companies were involved in the project, and it gave a lot of people something positive to focus on during the height of the pandemic, she says.
“For some, it kept them in the town, kept their kids in school, and helped pay the bills.”
More than 2500 hectares and 2500 sections were covered by the project.
A “gazillion” plants have been removed from the likes of Ivon Wilson Park, the shorelines of Lakes Te Anau and Manapōuri, and from residential gardens in both towns, she says.
“We went into almost every property in Manapōuri and Te Anau and removed cotoneaster and Darwin’s barberry and helped educate people about any other pest plants that might be lurking in their gardens."
“The project helped open people’s eyes to pest plants in the area. Even when they are busy back in their tourism operations, many of them are revisiting their patches and continuing to get rid of pest plants.”
There was still a lot of cotoneaster and Darwin’s barberry, but Environment Southland was working to keep it progressively contained.
“There’ll be some regrowth but we’ve knocked it back, some really good progress has been made.”
Hopefully, the programme would encourage people in other areas of Southland to check their gardens for pest plants and get rid of them where possible, Jolie says.
“Let’s keep it going, keep checking your garden.”
