In mid-2021 the Fiordland Trails Trust was granted $973,000 in funding through the Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature programme. This allowed the Trust to do some amazing work, benefitting both conservation and recreation.
Our Jobs for Nature project – Bringing the Park to the People – produced many and varied benefits to our local environment that will endure for generations to come thanks to the hard work of many people.
The project, funded through Mahi Mō Te Taiao, Jobs for Nature, commenced in 2021 and included weed and predator control, planting to restore biodiversity, the creation of community signage, trail enhancement and 6km of trail extension.
The outcomes of the project were significant.
Not only did it create a number of employment opportunities, but all project funding was spent within the local community, supporting businesses and suppliers.
The community positively engaged with the initiative – it was formally recognised with an Environment Southland Award in 2023 – and previously degraded areas along the Lake2Lake Trail were transformed into attractive, park-like spaces.
Other impacts included:
This project has been immensely positive and we cannot give enough thanks to the many people that have been involved. A special thank you goes to our project manager Tony Ciaffoni, whose hard work and dedication enabled the vast majority of these positive and lasting impacts.
For the Trust, this has been a wonderful example of recreation and conservation working together for some outstanding benefits. These impacts will be long lasting – just look at the Upukerora River Delta! – and we are thrilled with the outcome and the legacy it leaves.
