Three Otago conservation projects will receive $124,000 in Government biodiversity funding.
Conservation Minister Nick Smith yesterday announced that nationally, 90 community groups will receive $3.6 million in government funding to support conservation projects.
The community conservation grants were designed to complement the core work of the Department of Conservation, he said.
''Our threatened plants and animals are on private as well as public land. If we are serious about their survival we need to take conservation action on both fronts.''
A major benefit of this programme was the Government gained more than $10 million of conservation work from the $3.6 million of grants because of the contribution of volunteer labour, donations and financial support from other sources, he said.
The Otago projects to benefit were the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group, for its PestFree Peninsula project, $78,261; Landscape Connections Trust for enhancing biodiversity across North Dunedin and East Otago, $31,320; and Scott and Dinah Dunavan, of Kurinui, in North Otago, for an ecological assessment of lizard populations, $15,130.
Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group chairman Brendan Cross said it was nice the funding had finally come through as it would enable the group to plan and undertake a mop up of possums in sectors one to three on the peninsula during winter, and , ''the timeliness is fantastic''.
The group's ultimate aim was a pest-free peninsula and it would still seek funding to eradicate possums from sector five on the edge of the city.
Landscape Connections Trust planned a broad management plan covering the catchments of northern Dunedin and East Otago, investigating potential biodiversity projects which could link protected conservation areas and privately owned protected areas.
Scott and Dinah Dunavan planned to organise an ecological assessment of their North Otago property Kurinui to determine what lizards and invertebrates were living on the land.
''This means the work can go ahead. We're stoked,'' Mr Dunavan said.
The land was no longer being grazed, so the assessment would provide advice on what would be needed to protect the moths, beetles, flies and other invertebrates living on the property, he said.
''It builds on a general ecological assessment we had done a few years ago.''
A record 160 applications were received for the two rounds of Biofunds this year.