The first donation resulting from the charges will go towards establishing more food sources for the grand and Otago species, which are among the world's rarest skinks.
Since the charges were introduced on August 3, $50,000 has been given to five South Island environmental projects, identified by the Department of Conservation.
Before 2004, the Otago and grand skink populations were in serious decline, partly because of introduced predators such as cats, stoats and ferrets, and also because of the loss of suitable habitat due to land being developed for intensive agriculture.
Since Doc acquired the Redbank reserve area in 2002, predator-proof enclosures, a breeding programme and the exclusion of grazing stock have contributed to an expanding skink population for both species.
It was timely to plant a wide variety of small native shrubs for their diet, Doc coastal Otago area manager Bruce McKinlay said.
Skink populations were now on the rise, but to ensure the animals had an adequate future food source, there was a need to source, cultivate and replant a selection of their preferred food plants.
