Biodiversity Strategy Funding - Marine Biosecurity
BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY FUNDING - MARINE
BIOSECURITY
Thursday 8 June 2000
The Government will spend an extra $9.8 million on developing information and management systems to enhance New Zealand's marine biosecurity. This funding is part of a comprehensive five-year package involving conservation, environment, fisheries and biosecurity, confirmed in this year's Budget to support the Government's Biodiversity Strategy. It links to the Strategy's goal to halt the decline in New Zealand's biodiversity and will also support the Government's strategic goal of protecting and enhancing the environment.
The project
The project aims to protect the
marine environment from invasive marine species such as the
Northern Pacific seastar, which could cause serious impacts
to our marine biodiversity and marine environment generally.
Throughout the next five years this project will improve
our knowledge of potentially invasive species and of our
marine biodiversity in areas most at risk from invasion, as
well as supporting the development of our compliance,
surveillance and response capabilities.
Under threat
This project will produce some practical tools to protect our marine environment from invasions from exotic organisms like the Asian date mussel and Undaria seaweed that threaten estuaries and other coastal areas. Often these invaders are spread by vessels transporting ballast water, hull encrustations and the movement of marine farming equipment. Practical tools must be developed so New Zealand can protect its marine biodiversity.
Actions
This
project will be supported by research in the following
areas:
• Baseline surveys of the biodiversity of New
Zealand's nine busiest ports
• The development of
alternative management tools for threats to biosecurity from
known sources
• The development of a risk profile of
species that may arrive in New Zealand
• The
identification and establishment of surveillance techniques
for marine pests
Community partnerships
This
project will provide opportunities for co-operation with
Australia and alignment of some of the two countries'
biosecurity management measures. It will also provide
opportunities for central and local government co-operation
within New Zealand.
Information collected as part of the
project will also provide extremely valuable information to
other sectors, e.g. providing information on the country's
pest status to export markets.
Funding package details
All figures in $m, GST inclusive.
2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05
Total
$1.676 $2.178 $1.998 $1.998 $1.998
$9.8
For further information, please refer to http://www.biodiv.govt.nz