A regional pest management strategy covering the entire lower South Island may become a reality as southern regional councils investigate more avenues for co-operation.
It will mean one document will dictate the management or eradication of animal and plant pests from Canterbury south, with schedules covering each of the participating regions' particular pest problems.
The initiative came out of a meeting of chief executives from the Otago Regional Council, Environment Canterbury, Environment Southland and the West Coast Regional Council aimed at discussing areas of ''mutual interest''.
Otago Regional Council chief executive Peter Bodeker said the group was looking to build on the success of the collaboration on dam safety and building consents.
Otago undertakes the consenting for dams on behalf of Southland and the West Coast regional councils.
The four councils all have reviews of their pest management strategies coming up.
The strategies have a life span of 10 years, but they are able to be reviewed after five. Otago's was approved in 2009 and is due for renewal next year, a process that last time took three years.
That strategy set objectives and rules that are specific to each of the plants and animals listed as pests in Otago such as rabbits and old man's beard.
Under the strategy, land owners are required to take responsibility for the control of pest plants and animals on their properties and councils have the power to enforce the rules.
Mr Bodeker said instead of having four people reviewing and developing the strategies, only one would be needed, creating efficiencies of time and cost. Environment Southland biosecurity manager Richard Bowman said recent national policy directions and changes to the Biosecurity Act imposed higher standards and called for more consistency between regions' strategies.
Rather than trying for consistency down the track, the southern regional councils would try to start the process looking at common principals and approaches, he said.
Southland was already at the formative stage with its strategy and was aiming to put it out for consultation by the end of this year or early next year, he said.
