A new community-led plan to protect and enhance the Catlins’ environment is set to take effect after being endorsed by Otago Regional Council yesterday.

The Council also approved a recommended framework for actions and $100,000 in funding to help kick it off.

ORC Councillor and Catlins Integrated Catchment Working Group chair Lloyd McCall says, “This plan, which has been developed by the Catlins Integrated Catchment Group (ICG), is the first Catchment Action Plan for Otago and represents significant time, effort and collaboration from all parties involved.”

“It acknowledges that protecting and enhancing environmental values can also benefit the social, economic, and cultural well-being of Catlins people and visitors – Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata; When the land is well, we are well.”

The plan builds on the work that mana whenua, communities and local government are already doing to protect and manage their place and serves as a focus for new actions and projects, he says.

It can also be used to guide Otago Regional Council’s work programmes.

“It’s important to note that the plan reflects the current concerns of the Catlins’ mana whenua and community and is based on current available knowledge. The plan provides the basis and the beginning of a suite of actions that will continue and evolve as we gain more knowledge,” says Cr McCall.

The plan centres on six environmental values that represent the area’s major ecosystems and the native species and habitats within them. The plan also outlines the “pressures” or human activities which impact the six values, such as run-off, invasive introduced plants and mammals, and land clearing.

“Seven strategies have been developed to address these pressures, aimed at introduced mammals and birds, weeds, fish interaction, overharvesting, sustainable farming, sustainable forestry, and human behaviours,” says Cr McCall.

Catlins Integrated Catchment Group chair Grant Bradfield says, "Being involved in the making of this environmental plan has been both challenging and rewarding.”

“The Catlins has not just a natural beauty but contains a diverse array of landscapes, waterways, native fauna, and wildlife. Consequently, the resulting plan is complex, but it fairly reflects the environmental challenges of the area. Our hope is that this plan will be used to protect and enhance this wonderful place that we have been blessed with."

The Catlins Catchment Action Plan has been developed collaboratively using the knowledge and experience represented on the ICG, including community involved in agriculture, forestry, conservation, tourism, and recreation, as well as representatives from mana whenua, Clutha District Council, Department of Conservation and ORC.

“The plan will be monitored and reviewed regularly to allow new information and any lessons learnt to be included– making it a ‘living’ plan,” says Cr McCall.

The plan can be found on The Catlins Catchment Action Plan online, interactive hub: The Catlins.

This will also be where we will track and show progress against the plan’s goals and strategies as it progresses, he says.

Background 

Otago Regional Council’s Integrated Catchment Management programme followed decisions in the Long-Term Plan 2021-31. The Catlins was selected by council as the pilot Catchment Action Plan area. 

Integrated Catchment Management is a whole-of-landscape approach that uses the catchment as the boundary. Managing the environment at a catchment scale looks at the landscape from the mountains or headwaters of the catchment down to the sea, reflecting a 'Te Ao Māori' concept of inextricable connection between people and their environment, and between every element of our natural world – ki uta ki tai / mountains to the sea. 

A Catchment Action Plan is a non-regulatory plan for the management and conservation of an entire catchment or catchments, building on the work that iwi, communities, and local government are already doing to protect and manage their place. These plans are not only about freshwater, but also terrestrial, estuarine, and marine ecosystems, land and soils, and human values, including livelihoods, mahika kai and wāhi tūpuna.

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