Pest Plants
Our region’s biodiversity is threatened by pest plants which can choke lakes, degrade wetlands, collapse forest canopies, smother regeneration in natural areas and invade alpine and tussockland.
With many pest plant species in our region, controlling these pests is a huge job. Many of these pest plants are considered undesirable with some requiring a national response and many best dealt with on an individual property basis.
Regional Pest Plant Management Plan
Under the Biosecurity Act, Council produces and implements a Regional Pest Plant Management Plan. The Pest Management Plan is the Councils ‘rule book’ that targets specific pest plants, for eradication, progressive containment or sustained control in the region.
Pest Plant Management Programmes
Exclusion Programme
The purpose of the exclusion programme is to prevent the establishment of pest plants that are present in New Zealand but not yet established in the area. Pest plants that are not present in the region continue to be excluded due to the significant risks they pose to our natural environment, or production values. This means monitoring potential sites and making sure these species do not become established. See the fact sheet below for more information:
Eradication Programme
The purpose of the eradication programme is to reduce the infestation level of the pest plant to zero levels in an area in the short to medium term.
Pest plants that have a small, or manageable enough, incursion that by working with the community and other stakeholders, can be eradicated completely from the region over time are included in this programme. See the fact sheet below for more information:
Progressive Containment Programme
The purpose of this programme is to contain or reduce the geographic distribution of the pest plant to an area over time. See the fact sheet below for more information:
Sustained Control Programme
The purpose of this programme is to provide for ongoing control of the pest plant to reduce its spread to other properties and impact on environmental or production values.
Pest plants that are widely spread across the region and left uncontrolled have the capacity to cause undue costs on neighboring properties. See the fact sheet below for more information:
