JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/Stuff
Lyttelton Harbour, with Quail Island, foreground left, and Moepuku Peninsula, right. He said he used to only ever see the odd deer, but the population had “increased markedly” in recent years, and he now saw them all the time. The marauding cervines browse on young native plants, and the stags strip bark with their antlers, which eventually kills trees. “They are destroying thousands of hours of volunteer work.”
RNZ
On The Detail, Sharon Brettkelly meets two people who are doing their best to help achieve New Zealand s Predator-Free 2050 goal. (Video first published November 2019) McLennan said the Climate Change Commission recommended planting 300,000 hectares of native forest in the next 15 years.
Nadine Porter05:00, Apr 30 2021
CHRIS SKELTON
Residents in a rural Christchurch subdivision are worried about the potential effects of logging from a forestry block above their homes.
Residents in a rural Christchurch subdivision fear waterway contamination from sediment runoff and possible flooding if consent to harvest trees in a forestry block behind their homes is granted. Rocklands homeowner Geoff Mavromatis said while the 21 Tai Tapu residents were not against the three landowners felling sixty hectares of pine trees, they wanted to ensure the site was monitored and maintained to prevent any runoff. Forestry contractor PF Olsen confirmed to
Stuff it had lodged a consent with the Selwyn District Council to fell the trees and hoped to harvest them in October.
It is full stream ahead for the Waihao Community Restoration Project.
The project was established to redevelop the Waihao River area as a recreational amenity, and it is about to pick up momentum.
In February, the Waimate District Council approved the establishment of a memorandum of understanding with the Waihao Wainono Community Catchment Group.
Last year, the group was granted funding from the Canterbury Community Trust, on the condition it gained approval from the Waimate District Council.
Catchment group chairman Roger Small said the river area was once a nice spot for people to gather and enjoy a picnic.
But in 1986, the landscape was altered by flooding.
The Rangitata Awa in flood in 2019.
Photo: Supplied / Flickr
An update was provided to the council last week on the Rangitata Awa Restoration Project, where concerns were expressed on both the makeup and transparency of the associated working groups on the project.
The formation of the group last year was largely spurred by major flooding of the Canterbury river in December 2019 and the need for further engagement from iwi on future flood protection.
It was part of government-funded $2.7 million regional council work programme for work to mitigate flood risk, further investigations, and future and environmental enhancement works.
The steering group comprises of representatives from Te Runanga o Arowhenua, the Department of Conservation (DOC), Environment Canterbury (ECan), Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), and the Timaru and Ashburton District Councils.
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