Silverstream Restoration.
Native Planting.
Silverstream Riparian Planting.
Community Project: Water and Wildlife Habitat Trust
Project type: Silverstream Restoration
The Water and Wildlife Habitat Trust advocates for healthy waterways and wildlife habitats while promoting and facilitating whole-of-catchment collaborative partnerships for ecologically sustainable land use, nature conservation, and enhanced community involvement, education, and enjoyment.
The Silverstream Restoration Project is a project to restore the Silverstream catchment. There are many groups involved, including landowners, Fish & Game, the Water & Wildlife Habitat Trust, Environment Canterbury, and the University of Canterbury’s Canterbury Waterway Rehabilitation Experiment team (CAREX).
Funding from the Central Plains Water Limited Environmental Management Fund (EMF) supported native in-fill planting at Silverstream and will cover plant maintenance for three years until canopy closure is reached. Ongoing care will then be handed over to the landowners.
Impact.
Short term.
- The completion of a demonstration site that has excellent native plant coverage and is relatively low maintenance
- An increase in terrestrial biodiversity
- Increased overhanging vegetation to provide cover for fish
- Macrophyte cover is reduced to the point where mechanical clearance, spraying or hand weed clearance is not required
Longer term.
- Creating habitat and improving water flow and quality will restore Macroinvertebrate, populations of Mayfly, Cassidfly ad Damselfly are all good for fish, eels, crayfish and snails.
- Reduced contaminants entering the Selwyn River and Te Waihora
- Increase in fish abundance and diversity
- A reduction in nitrogen, phosphorus, and pathogens
- An exemplar example of more sustainable waterway management that leads to improved waterway management in the region and nationally
