MEDIA RELEASE www.boprc.govt.nz

Assistance for landowners available

For immediate release: 22 June 2011

With a new financial year approaching, Bay of Plenty Regional Council land management officers are reminding landowners of the options available to them through the Council’s riparian management programme.

Land Resources Manager (Eastern) Simon Stokes said the saturated landscape and recent storm events have caused extensive erosion and as a result farmers and landowners were seeking assistance from the Council.

“We have a riparian management programme which provides a 25 percent funding grant. It’s designed to work with landowners to reduce erosion and to storm proof their farm,” Mr Stokes said.

The programme’s focus is to reduce the potential for erosion and to protect land and waterways into the future.

Mr Stokes said any form of erosion reduces the farm’s ability to function, from stock and vehicle access to growing grass or trees.

“Land management officers can help farmers and landowners assess damage to hills and streambanks. They can provide advice on how best to manage a site that has eroded or how to carry out preventative erosion control

“When a piece of land erodes and you’re left with a slip scar, it can take a minimum of 20 years to re-establish any grass cover, and it will only ever produce up to 80 percent of what it was producing before.”

“Land management officers will help you assess land that has the potential to erode and provide advice on how to best avoid or lessen the effects of future heavy rain events,” Mr Stokes said.

Land management officers will help you to:
• identify and map a farm and its waterways
• assess erosion issues
• design a schedule of works, cost estimates and timeframes
• develop specifications for planting (exotics/indigenous plants and fencing)
• develop specifications for on-going maintenance, and
• assess work eligible for the 25 percent grant funding.

For more information call Bay of Plenty Regional Council on 0800 884 880 and ask to speak to a land management officer or go to www.boprc.govt.nz

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