To overcome the threat of wilding conifers, a non-regulatory national strategy is being developed.
To overcome the threat of wilding conifers, a non-regulatory national strategy is being developed.
Wilding conifers are a major pest concern for New Zealand's pastoral farmers and our natural landscapes. The conifers are regarded as escapees from our plantation forests, where seeds have blown onto accessible land and established into weed-like trees.
Pines and other conifers are very hardy _ they're resistant to saltspray, frosts and they only need 600mm of rain per year, so once they've escaped they're hard to control. They compete for pasture and disfigure the landscape _ especially in the lower South Island High Country and central North Island.
To overcome the threat of wilding conifers, a non-regulatory national strategy is being developed. A working group of regulators, industry stakeholders and land managers, have been working with the Ministry for Primary Industry (MPI) to help draft a shared vision and a common way forward for those with an interest in wilding conifer management.
Federated Farmers is representing the pastoral sector and is very supportive of a voluntary strategy based on the detrimental effect wilding conifers have on the pastures of many of our farming members.
The voluntary strategy aims to remove barriers and allow for more effective wilding conifer management. Areas of focus emerging from the strategy development to date include: supporting the development of a mapping and monitoring framework; improving alignment in operations and policy between organisations; investigating funding sources; increasing awareness and supporting research.
The aim is to ultimately have the strategy formally endorsed by key organisations with an interest in wilding conifer management. The strategy and any supporting recommendations will then be provided to ministers.
The working group has given MPI clear direction on what the strategy will need to deliver and where the main areas of focus should be. There is general agreement on a good number of proposed interventions that would help improve wilding conifer management.
However, further work is still required to understand and seek a solution to several of the more complex and challenging areas.
The NZ Wilding Conifer Management Group and SCION Research have received funding for a three-year programme which will support the objectives of the strategy. This is all very positive as a means of ensuring the future control of wilding conifers.
