A new biodiversity officer has been tasked with increasing the abundance and variety of native wildlife in a key Selwyn catchment.
The district council has signed a memorandum of understanding with Living Water, the Department of Conservation's 10-year, $20 million partnership with Fonterra.
Through the Living Water partnership Fonterra and DOC are working with dairy farmers, iwi, conservation groups, councils, schools and other agencies to improve the health of five key catchments in significant dairying regions throughout the country.
Under the MOU, Living Water is helping the district council fund its new biodiversity officer Andy Spanton. He will be working with the community and various agencies to enhance the catchment, focusing particularly on Yarrs Lagoon/Ta-rere-kau-tuku in Springston South.
DOC operations manager Andy Thompson said the lagoon was a key site for native wildlife in the catchment.
Deputy mayor Malcolm Lyall said he was very happy to see the district council play its part in efforts to support indigenous re-vegetation and increasing biodiversity in Canterbury.