Local biodiversity grant boosts conservation in action
Seven local conservation groups have been announced as successful recipients in the second year of the Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay contestable fund.
Grant recipients include groups small and large, with the variety of projects supported ranging from artificial bat roosts in Waipawa, pest control, riparian planting, and assistance with securing the genetic breadth of wild kākābeak/ngutukākā in Hawke’s Bay.
The fund supports local projects that protect and improve native species and ecosystems, as well as connect and grow the local biodiversity community and environmental restoration, two key goals of
the Hawke’s Bay Biodiversity Strategy 2015 - 2050.
Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay general manager Debbie Monahan says there were a number of inspiring applications from across the Hawke’s Bay region again this year, and it’s great to see the number of
conservation groups and volunteers growing year on year.
“As the biodiversity hub in the region, we connect, facilitate, support and enable community action for biodiversity in the bay, but we couldn’t offer this fund without the financial support from two of
our key partners, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the Department of Conservation.”
Hawke’s Bay District Manager for the Department of Conservation Tryphena Cracknell says: “He waka eke noa - we’re all in this together".
"When it comes to biodiversity, no one agency or group can go it alone – it is our shared responsibility as a community to take action.”
Community groups and projects to receive funding include the Maraetōtara Tree Trust, to support native riparian planting to improve water quality and provide a corridor for birds, and Te Mata
Park Trust to help control pests to enhance the re-establishment of the ngahere / forest and native species in the park.
The Pekapeka-tou-roa / long-tailed bat will also benefit from the grant this year, as well as Te Huka Waiohinganga (Esk) River Care Group in the creation of their community nursery, the Urban
Kākābeak Project, rabbit control at Puahanui Bush in Central Hawke’s Bay, and native plant revegetation at Esk Hills Reserve.
To learn more about biodiversity, become a Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay member, to donate or volunteer, visit www.biodiversityhb.org
