The April 2020 round of the DCC’s Biodiversity Fund promises to be a one-off bumper round with the amount of funding available doubled due to previously cancelled grants.

A full $80,000 is available in the April 2020 round, so this is the round to be in for.

The Biodiversity Fund provides grants for materials to support native planting projects, trapping and weed control, and fencing of important areas for indigenous biodiversity.

All fund details including how to apply are available on the DCC website. Any landowner or community group keen to make a difference to biodiversity in our city is encouraged to apply. Please contact the DCC’s Biodiversity Advisor for an informal chat about your project and how the fund may be able to assist. Email: biodiversity@dcc.govt.nz or phone 03 477 4000.

Draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity

The Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation released a Draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity for public comment in late-2019. This document aims to minimise variability and uncertainty around how councils apply the Resource Management Act (RMA) relating to indigenous biodiversity; this should lead to better outcomes for our irreplaceable biodiversity, much of which does not exist anywhere else in the world.

Submissions close mid-March - this is an important document for those with an interest in New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity and more information can be found at the Ministry for the Environment website. The DCC have submitted overall in support of the draft.