Our natural environment

Caring for our natural environment

Our natural environment in Canterbury forms habitats for a diverse range of native plant and animal life, which supports the health of our unique ecosystems, including our precious braided rivers and wetlands. In turn, helping with climate regulation, carbon-storing, waste decomposition and clean air and water. When you look at all of these benefits, it goes without saying that it's important we look after it.

The way we interact with nature also guides our culture: for tangata whenua and their kaitiakitanga, and for all New Zealanders. Discover some of the unique nature in your area.

Ecosystems are all about the interactions between plants and animals and the places in which they live - streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, drylands, forests and bush and the coastal marine environment.

What about pest management?

Certain plants and animals can have a negative impact on our natural environment, which in turn can hurt our economy. We're working hard to make managing pests easier, especially for people like farmers, whose industry is reliant on protection.

We have funding available for natural environment regeneration on your property. Find out if what you're doing qualifies for funding.

Our biodiversity work

Our yearly snapshots provide an update on key achievements across our biodiversity programme, projects underway with the community and stakeholders, data and infographics, and case studies from across the region.

Working with landowners and the community, our biodiversity programme focuses on projects across the region that protect, maintain and enhance our indigenous biodiversity. Learn more about our key projects.

An ecosystem near you

Restoring local green spaces (natural ecosystems where native wildlife can thrive) is essential to animals, birds and plants in the region. If you're interested in developing green spaces we have a range of resources, including funding, and support available.

A habitat corridor (like some native planting in your backyard) can provide a vital link between existing native habitats.

Mahinga kai species guide

Mahinga kai is about the value of natural resources that sustain life, including the life of people. It is important to manage and protect these resources, in the same way that ancestors have done before us.

 A Mahinga Kai Species Guide highlights many of the mahinga kai that are found in and around the Te Waihora / Lake Ellesmere catchment across different habitats.

How does Environment Canterbury help?

We work with landowners and communities to protect and restore the natural environment, so we can all benefit from ecosystem services like climate stability and clean air and water. To do this we provide funding to support ecological projects, undertake restoration projects, and provide pest, land and water management advice and support.

The Canterbury Biodiversity Strategy helps us to set and achieve goals we have around protecting and restoring our natural environment.