Environment Southland and Environment Canterbury are preparing applications to the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to gain permission to introduce two new biological control agents.
The first is the Darwin’s barberry rust fungus (Puccinia darwinii) for the control Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii). The second is the Chilean flame creeper leaf beetle (Blaptea elguetai) for the control of Chilean flame creeper (Tropaeolum speciosum).
Environment Canterbury regional council is the applicant for the Darwin’s barberry application. Environment Southland regional council is the applicant for the Chilean flame creeper application.
As part of pre-lodgement consultation, we are now consulting a wide range of stakeholders and interested and affected parties to gather views on these proposals. This is an opportunity for you to share your views or concerns about the release of these biocontrol agents with us. In your response you may wish to (but this is not a requirement) consider aspects such as:
- Do either of the weeds currently affect your sector?
- Any other comments you consider would be of value.
- Do either of the weeds affect environmental values in your sector, and if so, how?
- Do either of the weeds affect economic values in your sector, and if so, how? Do you have any monetary estimates of management costs? (anecdotal information would also be of value.)
- Do either of the weeds confer any benefits?
- Do you have any comments on the effects of the introduction of the biocontrol agent for either of these weeds?
We welcome responses that address any or none of the above. If you wish to make no comments at all, we would appreciate you letting us know that too.
Your feedback on these draft applications will be integrated into the final applications prior to lodgement, to inform the EPA’s decision-making committee. Please let us know if you believe your feedback should not be made public.
Please note that you will also be able to submit comments directly to the EPA once either application is formally lodged and opens for public submissions.
