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Otago Regional Council’s (ORC’s) annual ECO Fund round for community projects which opens 1 March has received a 58.4% boost to available funds, now topping $900,000.
The combined ECO Fund and four Incentives Funds are joined by a one-off “large-scale biodiversity fund” this year, targeting projects in a range of $50,000 to $150,000.
The funding underpins the ORC’s partnership with local communities throughout the Otago region to improve the environment, which under the different categories can include on-ground works, biodiversity enhancement, water monitoring, animal or plant pest control, native planting and regeneration, education, or administrative support.
ORC Councillor and chair of the ECO Fund, Alan Somerville says the ECO Fund provides value to Otago communities and the environment, and this year it’s the biggest ever pool of funding available.
“Communities know what is most important in their own areas, and money from the ECO Fund can enable them to turn their ideas into action,” he says.
Somerville says the criteria is broad and covers biodiversity, biosecurity, and improving water quality.
“Last year’s funding round included projects to establish a trap library at Taieri Mouth, removal of lupins in the Lindis Pass, plants for riparian planting in South Otago, and rabbit fencing at Moeraki and Wanaka,” he says.
He says the fund can also cover up to 50% of wage costs for project coordinators.
“Local groups across Otago put a huge amount of work into protecting and enhancing the environment,” Somerville says. “The benefits are boundless.”
“The larger fund this year will be able to support more projects. It’s a very good plan to contact the Council to discuss your project before putting your application in,” he adds.
ORC manager environmental implementation, Libby Caldwell, says the addition of the one-off large-scale project fund reflects that the ECO Fund and Incentives Funds have been consistently oversubscribed by more than 100% of the funds available.
“We’re definitely seeing greater interest in community-led projects around Otago and want to foster more of these partnerships which so positively enhance the environment,” she says.
Caldwell says that since the ECO Fund’s inception in 2018, 133 projects have received grants totalling $1.71 million.
“The large-scale funding came about from several funding requests made to Council through its Long Term Plan and Annual Plan processes, so we have listened to our community and are providing assistance with getting these large-scale biodiversity projects off the ground and ensuring that how we allocate our funding to projects is fair and contestable.”
Caldwell says the biodiversity budget for 2023-24 already included $300,000 for biodiversity outcomes, and the large-scale fund will be easily integrated within the already established ECO Fund system.
“The diversity of the categories has enabled some great community outcomes over the past six years and the aim is to continue this,” she concludes.
The criteria for the new large scale biodiversity grants includes that the project must address biodiversity outcomes, be in a range of $50,000 and $150,000 and be completed by June 2025.
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