A newly formed environmental implementation team at the Otago Regional Council (ORC) combines community-facing biodiversity, biosecurity and freshwater focused staff into one team.

The new team will focus on making “measurable progress” on environmental issues in both urban and rural catchments, environmental implementation manager Andrea Howard said.

“We will be increasing our partnerships with mana whenua, and with local communities and landowners, as well as directly delivering environmental improvement through ‘boots on the ground’,” she said.

The team will have an increased number of community-facing roles, with staff working with individuals and communities to resolve contentious issues and ‘sticky’ environmental problems, she said. 

“This will be achieved in a number of ways, including providing technical advice, encouraging effective land use practices, and supporting community-led environmental efforts. We’ll also be undertaking localised integrated action planning and developing and implementing targeted plans to facilitate environmental restoration.”

In a departure from the way ORC’s work has traditionally been structured, the Environmental Implementation team’s efforts will be organised around local geography - rather than by subject - which the ORC hopes will help further the establishment of strong community relationships and allow staff and communities to have a better understanding of environmental issues and solutions within local ecosystems.

Education, including promotion around sustainable land management practices, will also be part of the team’s focus, and biosecurity work is set to increase.

“Our communities want to see more of ORC making a tangible difference in their immediate environment, and this new team is set up to do just that,” Andrea said.

PHOTO: Wanaka App