Upper Clutha Biodiversity Strategy - Update

Last year (June 2023), FOBC participated in a Wai Wanaka workshop with a diverse group of Wanaka environmental community groups and organisations. The aim of the workshop was to establish a range of Biodiversity objectives and provide the basis for an Upper Clutha Biodiversity Strategy. A summary of the UC Biodiversity Strategy has also now been created in a pamphlet format for ease of communication.

With Wai Wanaka taking the lead, this strategy was publicly launched at the WAO Summit Wanaka in Oct 2023 and has since been presented and received support from:-

  • QLDC - Climate & Biodiversity team within QLDC including representatives from both Aukaha and Te ao Marama Inc.

  • ORC - Councillors and management

Sustainable Funding for Environmental projects

A large driver of this UC Biodiversity Strategy is to ensure sustainable funding for environmental outcomes following the change in national policy. The UC Biodiversity Strategy is based on the concept of a Conservation Alliance:-

Conservation alliance concept – a desire to see an increasingly sustainable level of funding support for conservation and environmental initiatives across the Upper Lakes rohe has led to early-stage discussions between ORC, WAI Wānaka, Southern Lakes Sanctuary and Mana Tāhuna about ways to achieve this. The concept under discussion is the formation of an alliance through which to prioritise work to achieve landscape scale change and to attract significantly increased funding. The Biodiversity Strategy provides a well-aligned, tangible mechanism to help bring this alliance concept to life. The intention would be for the alliance to be inclusive of the many groups that are active across the Upper Lakes. - Ben Youngman, Wai Wanaka, Science & Research Lead

FOBC Comment: At this stage the “bigger picture” about funding for environmental objectives remains unclear. With QLDC repeatedly warning that they have no “spare money” and indications from the National government that funding for environmental initiatives established under the previous government will be wound back, it will be more important than ever for our local environmental groups to present a cohesive and co-ordinated approach when lobbying for funds.

From FOBC’s POV, we will endeavour to keep abreast of developments in this space and continue to advocate for the ongoing protection of Bullock Creek.

FOBC Trust