The Upper Lakes Integrated Catchment Group is asking the community for feedback on its draft Catchment Action Plan (CAP).

Once complete, the Upper Lakes CAP will be a long-term, community-led plan for managing land, water, biodiversity and wellbeing values of the Upper Lakes catchment, building on existing work and setting out local priorities for action.

The draft CAP is the result of Otago Regional Council’s (ORC) 2021-24 Long Term Plan, ORC environmental implementation manager Libby Caldwell said.

“The Otago community provided feedback to ORC that they would like to see a community-led approach to how to achieve environmental outcomes, and out of this the Integrated Catchment Management Programme was developed,” she told the Wānaka App.

ORC started the first CAP in the Catlins, which is now in the implementation phase, and the Upper Lakes is the second CAP to be developed.

It is now at the halfway mark, and a survey has been released for public feedback.

“The survey is a good opportunity for the group to check with a wider audience how much the draft work aligns with their expectations,” Libby said.

“The survey results will be incorporated into the work to date, which is really the scene setting for the CAP – that is, the vision, values, pressures and goals.”

“The next stage…is to develop actions that will mitigate the pressures and/or enhance the values which have been identified which work towards achieving the long term goals of the plan,” Libby said.

“For example this could include planting natives, wetland enhancement, predator control, wilding conifer control, mahika kai, etc.”

The Upper Lakes Integrated Catchment Group features representatives from a wide range of groups including WAI Wānaka, Guardians of Lake Hāwea, Guardians of Lake Wānaka, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Otago Fish & Game, and many more.

Have your say on the draft Upper Lakes CAP here before June 15.

The group will also be holding a public hui in Wānaka in August to update the community on progress on the CAP. 

PHOTO: Wānaka App