JOBS FOR NATURE

QEII was pleased to secure funding from DOC’s Jobs for Nature (JFN) programme to support projects on private land.

Protecting the Gains

QEII has secured an additional $8 million of funding over four years (2021 – 2025) for a project called ‘Protecting the Gains’. This funding is enabling us to work with landowners to secure enduring outcomes on private land where some of the $1.3 billion government investment in the Jobs for Nature programme is being made.

The extra funding is enabling us to increase the number of sites protected by approximately 250 over the fouryear project. We are working with recipients of Jobs for Nature funding on private land to offer two forms of legal protection, our standard Open Space Covenant or a Restoration Agreement – a new legal protection tool that has been developed as part of this project. Restoration Agreements will enable QEII to protect Jobs for Nature investment on private land where biodiversity values at the site do not yet meet the criteria for protection in perpetuity by an Open Space Covenant. So far through this project, we’ve worked with 22 landowners, protecting 28 sites and 1,260 hectares of private land that has received JFN funding.

An example of an Open Space Covenant funded by this additional Jobs for Nature funding is highlighted on page 20.

Jobs for Nature project – covenant type Open space covenant Approved Ha (approximate) Registered Ha

28 1,264 5 695

Note: There were no Restoration Agreements approved in the 2021/22 financial year.

DOC Private Land Biodiversity Fund

We have also initiated two further Jobs for Nature projects, funded through DOC’s Private Land Biodiversity Fund. These will support landowners with existing QEII covenants and give us an opportunity to support landowners with work that isn’t possible with our usual funding.

QEII covenant deer exclusion project (NZ wide)

Funding of $2 million over 3 years ($1m North Island, $1m South Island) will be put towards this project to exclude pest deer from existing QEII covenants where deer exclusion has been identified as the highest conservation priority. The project will engage fencing and ungulateculling contractors to exclude pest deer and upgrade conventional fencing to deer-proof status in participating covenants.

A project administrator has been engaged to facilitate site selection, contractor engagement and invoice payments. Our regional representatives have been identifying priority areas and work on the ground will begin later in 2022.

Accelerating stewardship of rare and threatened species (Eastern South Island)

This project will work over 3 years with selected covenants in the Eastern South Island that support and protect some of Aotearoa’s most rare and threatened indigenous biodiversity. The project will involve a combination of ecological surveys and planning, as well as a range of site-specific on-the-ground conservation actions.

A project manager was contracted in late-21/22 to work with QEII regional representatives to identify and finalise sites to be included in the project. Because of the nature of these species, much of this work will be seasonal (undertaken in spring and summer), and work will commence on the ground in spring 2022.