Addressing severe erosion on the East Coast

Associate Primary Industries Minister Jo Goodhew has today announced that public consultation on proposed operational changes to the East Coast Forestry Project (ECFP) is now underway.

“The Gisborne region has a severe erosion problem. A quarter of the land is susceptible to severe erosion, compared with only 8 percent of all land in New Zealand,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“The ECFP funds the treatment of land to prevent soil erosion, through planting trees or indigenous regeneration.”

Since 1992 landowners have used the fund to treat soil erosion on 42,000 hectares.

“But some 60,000 hectares of eligible land remains prone to erosion across the region, and landowners need support to tackle the issue,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“The proposed changes to the ECFP come as a result of two reviews by the Ministry for Primary Industries in 2011 and 2012. The reviews made a number of operational recommendations aimed at improving participation.

“The proposals in the consultation address these issues and suggest either improving the regulations or removing them altogether.

“I encourage landowners, tāngata whenua and stakeholders to give their feedback on what would work best for them,” says Mrs Goodhew.

Consultation closes on Sunday 16 March 2014. Further information can be found on the Ministry for Primary Industries website: www.mpi.govt.nz