For the smaller regional councils and unitary authorities, getting environmental science advice that meets their needs has always been difficult; largely due to budget constraints. A new Government funding initiative administered by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology has successfully overcome this difficulty.
The Envirolink Fund started on 1 December and enables public good science providers to advise smaller councils on practical issues arising from research. The focus is on getting practical scientific advice to the people who implement it.
NIWA has more than 60 projects either in progress or completed under Envirolink, with many of these being in the freshwater area, including training in macroinvertebrate identification, demonstrating the utility of peat for treating wastewater, and advising on lake nutrient inflows and wetland sustainability. Several 'small' grants have led to larger projects. For example, advice on water quality problems affecting Lake Brunner has spawned larger projects on calculating catchment loads entering the lakes and hydrodynamic and water quality modelling within the lake.
Contact Steph on 0-7-856 1786, or [email protected]