Deciding Priority Sites

National Programme funding for wilding conifer control is being directed to priority sites across New Zealand.

These are places where it's been decided that investment will provide the greatest return, in terms of:

• Protecting values;
  
  
• Avoiding future cost; and
  
  
• Leveraging additional support.

Prioritising has been done using a system that takes into account:

• invasiveness of the species,
• size and vulnerability of potential invasion area,
• impacts on values,
• level of existing support, 
• likely control cost, 
• probability of success.

Most sites determined a priority are in the eastern South Island, as the land cover in these areas is highly vulnerable to wilding conifer invasion.

Wildland Consultants undertook this work, in consultation with key stakeholders. Find further details of the prioritisation methodology in their report: Methods for the Prioritisation of Wilding Conifer Sites across New Zealand.