Horizons environmental programme co-ordinator Dave Harrison and a farmer plant poplar poles to help stabilise erodible hill country. Photo / Supplied
Horizons environmental programme co-ordinator Dave Harrison and a farmer plant poplar poles to help stabilise erodible hill country. Photo / Supplied
Despite cuts Horizons Regional Council's Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI) will receive a sizeable chunk of the Government's $8.8million hill-country erosion fund for the next four years.
Horizons will receive $4.76million for erosion control activities, but that is less than in previous years. "While we are very appreciative to havereceived this funding once again, it is a reduction. We've been getting around $1.6million a year so it is down to $1.2million. [It's] slightly disappointing I guess," Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon said.
"But receiving more than half of the available hill-country erosion funds not only signals support for SLUI but also reflects the scale of erosion issues in our region."
The scheme is administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries, and it is the third time Horizons has succeeded in gaining money from the scheme, with about $13million received so far.
Until now the SLUI programme has focused on completing whole farm plans, identifying areas for erosion control on a farm-by-farm basis and undertaking work on those farms once plans are finalised. "We are now nearing the end of our whole-farm plans programme so will look at reducing targets in this area and focus more on the works programme," Mr Gordon said.
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"Combined with a significant ratepayer contribution following our recent long-term plan deliberations and the relaunched afforestation grant scheme, we hope to complete a lot of extra work in the region."
Since it was established in 2006 SLUI has been funded by Horizons rates, landowners and the Government.
A Landcare Research report on the impact of SLUI on sediment levels in the region's rivers was commissioned by Horizons in 2013. Under the way SLUI currently operates it is predicted the annual sediment load in rivers would fall 27 per cent due to SLUI works by 2043.
