Catchment Care tools
There are many ways for farms to protect and maintain water quality while implementing good management practices. The benefits extend beyond water quality improvement, and include enhancing stock health, reducing stock losses, creating indigenous habitats, improving biodiversity, increasing flood resilience, decreasing bank erosion, and conserving soil.
Land Action Plan
For landowners interested in being involved in the Catchment Care programme, a Catchment Care advisor will work with them to create a Land Action Plan. The aim of the Land Action Plan (LAP) is to provide landowners with information and support to improve water quality and strengthen ecological resilience on their farm/land, while also helping Council understand how the property’s risks to freshwater fit within the greater catchment.
The LAP includes a ranked list of priority mitigations for the landowner to address to support improved water quality and ecological resilience and enables Council to prioritise which mitigations to fund catchment wide. LAP’s can also act as guidance to support the development of a Freshwater Farm Plan for the property, if required.
Participation in the programme is entirely voluntary, and Catchment Care is not a compliance programme. Landowners have full access to the data collected on their property and can use it to develop Freshwater Farm Plans.
Land Action Plans will be based around supporting landowners to identify and consider the following environmental factors, with recommendations for mitigations where appropriate:
Environmental factors | Aspects considered |
|---|---|
Status of waterways and riparian zones | Stock access, bank erosion, vegetation, crossings, runoff |
Critical Source Areas | Identifying where and when sediment and/or nutrients are most likely to enter waterways |
Soil and Erosion risk | Slope, soil type, drainage, pugging, compaction and bank instability |
Nutrient, effluent and fertiliser management and leachate | Soil type, slope and run off potential, distance to waterways and flow paths, soil moisture, storage |
Intensive Winter Grazing | Paddock selection, stock, cultivation, rules and regulations |
Biosecurity | Pest species knowledge, plans and preventative measures in place |
As part of a Land Action Plan, Landowners will be provided with the following information (where available):
- Property map
- Overland flow map
- Slope map
- Soils map
- Likely Critical Source Areas
- Marlborough Environment Plan zoning map
- Zones for fencing and planting for land stabilisation and sediment/nutrient capture
- A ranked mitigation plan for identified environmental aims or risks
The Land Action Plan will rank the mitigation priorities on one property, and high-ranking priorities will also be ranked catchment wide. The highest identified priorities across the catchment may be eligible for funding support (usually to the amount of 50% of material costs).
The data gathered from a Land Action Plan can offer valuable insights for a Freshwater Farm Plan.
Discover more about Freshwater Farm Plans
Are you interested in a Land Action Plan? Please use the Contact Us button at the bottom of the page.
Fencing Waterways
Fencing stock out of waterways is often a key first step in improving water quality. By excluding stock from waterways and creating a vegetated buffer between the water and productive land, the amount of nutrients, effluent and sediment entering waterways is greatly reduced. This also enhances the habitat of invertebrates, birds, and other freshwater species.
Prioritising fences and considering how they might impact stock management is vital to ensuring they are correctly placed and suit long-term requirements. Be aware of regulations around fencing setbacks from the edge of waterways to ensure compliance.
Go to more detailed information and helpful advice on fencing on the DairyNZ website
Riparian Planting
Riparian plants serve as a buffer, filtering out nutrients and sediment to prevent them from entering waterways. Additionally, they shade waterways, reducing water temperatures while providing habitat for invertebrates, birds, and fish. Lower water temperatures and decreased direct sunlight also help prevent the growth of nuisance algae and invasive aquatic plants. Planting aids in stabilising land and preventing further erosion, thereby reducing sediment loss.
Choosing the right plants for the right area is key to maximising the success and water quality outcomes of your planting. A Catchment Care advisor can help you select plants suited to a property and site. See the useful links below.
If your property has native areas that are ecologically rich and may contain rare plants, insects, or birds, Council staff can survey and assist landowners in protecting these areas through funding fencing, trapping, and additional planting.
Go to the biodiversity section of the website
North Marlborough Planting and Restoration Guide
South Marlborough Native Planting Guide
Wetland Brochure
Dairy NZ waterway technote
DairyNZ Riparian Planting
Erosion planting
Strategic planting of fast-growing, non-invasive tree species can prevent erosion in hilly and mountainous areas. The complex root systems of certain poplar, willow, and eucalyptus trees make them excellent choices for maintaining soil on farms. Trees are planted as 2-3 metre-long poles in areas at risk of earth movement, rills, slips, or slumps.
Many native trees can be used when retiring unproductive land, such as gullies or poor-producing land, while adding further biodiversity to farms. Our Catchment care team can help advise you on what species are appropriate for your property and context.
Water quality monitoring
Marlborough District Council monitors 54 stream and river sites across the region each month. The monitoring results are used to report on the State of the Environment as required by government legislation. Additionally, this monitoring helps the Council assess the effectiveness of its management of natural resources through regional rules and non-regulatory methods.
Go to more information on the State of the Environment Reporting - surface water monitoring page
