The ORC’s Environmental Data Portal is experiencing high traffic volumes affecting its effectiveness at present. The site is being worked on at present and people are asked to be patient. Please be considerate in using this tool, some people require access to the EDP for important decision-making today.
Environmental Data PortalThe ORC’s Environmental Data Portal is experiencing high traffic volumes affecting its effectiveness at present. The site is being worked on at present and people are asked to be patient. Please be considerate in using this tool, some people require access to the EDP for important decision-making today.
Wednesday 29 June 2022
There are 25 environmental projects being funded by the Otago Regional Council’s annual ECO Fund and incentive funds, with grants ranging from $1000 to $48,883 – totalling $443,125 this year.
There was a record 53 applications submitted from organisations requesting a total $1.1 million from the $470,000 available, which was increased by $180,000 through a one-off of incentive funding added through the Long-term Plan 2021-31, to the total $470,000.
Applications were open from 30 March until 1 May and ORC councillors today signed off the 25 successful projects, during a full Council meeting.
Councillor and ECO Fund Assessment Panel chair Michael Deaker says the fund is one of many examples of the ORC working in partnership with local communities, to improve the state of our environment.
“This year was the biggest ever in terms of the number of community groups applying and the amount of money distributed. I’m more impressed, every year, with the quality and commitment of these groups, even in our most remote locations,” Mr Deaker says.
During the past four years, a total $1.19 million has now been distributed from the ECO Fund and other incentives for 101 projects, underpinning the environmental work of a total 78 organisations.
“It was especially satisfying this year, for the first time, to grant money to communities seeking sustained rabbit management, and more native planting for water quality and to replace wilding pines.”
He says every one of the 53 proposals was “painstakingly assessed” by four expert staff, four councillors and a Kāi Tahu kaumatua.
“It’s been a privilege to work on this project since 2018. It’s making Otago a better region, every year,” Mr Deaker says.
ORC’s Acting Manager Environmental Implementation, Libby Caldwell, was impressed with not only the diversity of applications, but the geographic spread of groups across Otago.
“The number of applications and level of oversubscription suggests there’s significant demand for community driven projects around Otago,” she says.
Mrs Caldwell says the ECO Fund enables groups, both large and small, to share in the funding and this supports community led projects, which are having great outcomes for Otago’s environment.
The successful 2022 applicants ranged from Dunedin and Oamaru to Mt Aspiring and Queenstown and in the south, to Tautuku and the Catlins area.
The additional incentive funds this year were ring-fenced to be used for sustained rabbit management ($100,000), native planting after wilding pine removal ($50,000) and native planting for water quality ($30,000).
The fund was previously six-monthly and has moved to annual, with applications open from 30 March for a month.
The seven previous rounds of the ECO Fund were also heavily oversubscribed.
Established in July 2018, there were seven, six-monthly, funding rounds. A total of 76 projects were chosen from 184 applications and $753,266 disbursed, with this first annual round (2022) providing $443,125 for 25 projects.
Further information on applying, other funding sources, and earlier ECO Fund projects