Canterbury council under fire after native grassland converted to grazing – Stuff.co.nz

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Forest & Bird says the Selwyn District Council has done nothing to stop illegal farm conversion at Acheron Terrace.

Conservationists are calling for responsibility for native habitat protection to be taken away from poorly performing local councils.

Forest & Bird has released an image of the Acheron terraces, in inland Canterbury near Lake Coleridge, where it says a swathe of native tussock land has recently been sprayed, cultivated and converted to green pasture.

Canterbury regional manager Nicky Snoyink said she first raised the alarm with the Selwyn District Council in May, but despite following up several times throughout the year the council has failed to require the landowner to stop clearing native plants.

Its really frustrating that councils in the Canterbury region continue to be unwilling to protect rare habitat in the region, despite being provided with photos of clear deliberate damage, she said.

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The Acheron Terrace was a really important and special place because it was part of an intact dry tussock grassland, home to native insects, lizards, and birds.

It is increasingly under threat from development, so I was really shocked to see part of it had been so quickly converted to green grass for more intensive sheep and cattle grazing.

David Walker/Stuff

Forest & Birds Canterbury-West Coast regional manager Nicky Snoyink.

Snoyink said Forest & Bird investigated illegal habitat clearance around the country earlier this year, and found landowners were largely able to get away with damaging native foliage, with very few councils willing to intervene.

This was not the only time she had raised concerns about this with the Selwyn council, she said.

In 2019, more than 40 hectares of mature matagouri shrubland was sprayed along the roadside on private land that was the gateway to Korowai Torlesse Tussocklands Park, Snoyink said.

But the Selwyn District Council is uncertain whether it breaches their rules, so have opted to take an educational approach with the landowner.

Forest & Bird/Supplied

Forest & Bird says 41 hectares of matagouri was sprayed and killed in one incident in 2019. Pictured is matagouri in the upper Waimakariri Basin.

The second site is part of an agreement with Environment Canterbury (ECan) for gorse control, which does allow spot spraying.

Nature in New Zealand is down to the wire, Snoyink said.

If councils are unwilling to put good rules in place or properly enforce the rules they have, then we have to either accept the local extinction of our native species, or give the responsibility for protecting wildlife to an independent, properly funded organisation that can and will do their job.

LUZ ZUNIGA/Stuff

Lindy Kelly drove through Nelson in her ute to raise awareness of her battle to protect historic bush on her farm.

The council's response to Snoyinks complaint about the Acheron terrace landowner said no action was taken because the pasture improvements were in an area previously developed for grazing, albeit through a less intensive process.

There is no doubt that indigenous species have been removed as part of the recent development, however, our operative District Plan rules do allow for this to occur within an area of improved pasture.

Proposed District Plan rule changes would help remedy the situation, the council said, by stopping places with naturally occurring indigenous species falling under the improved pasture definition.

Stacy Squires/Stuff

A Selwyn District Council spokesman says the Acheron terrace land had already been developed for grazing in the past.

In earlier correspondence about the matagouri incident, the council said it had multiple meetings with the landowners, and told them to consult both ECan and the council about any future spraying.

A council spokesman told Stuff due to the timing of Forest & Bird releasing this information, staff involved with handling their complaints were not available to respond.

We do investigate every complaint we receive and work with Environment Canterbury and the landowners to ensure the rules are upheld and achieve a positive outcome in the long-term.

We also continue to work with Forest & Bird on these issues, including providing full responses on what actions we have taken and what we are legally able to do in these cases.

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Canterbury council under fire after native grassland converted to grazing - Stuff.co.nz