By Chris Howe

When I first joined WWF New Zealand in 2001, I was on a very steep learning curve for many issues. One of the most challenging – and ultimately most rewarding – was my involvement in the Habitat Protection Fund. I was in at the deep end, reviewing applications for grants from local community groups all over New Zealand, all working hard in their spare time to make New Zealand’s environment a better place for wildlife and people.

WWF has managed this fund in partnership with the Tindall Foundation for ten years. We do so not only because wildlife throughout the country is desperately in need of conservation action, but because we firmly believe that local communities have a critical role to play in saving it. Every project I’ve visited on the ground, from the Yellow-eyed penguin trust in Dunedin, to the Kaipatiki Restoration Project in Auckland, is run by passionate and dedicated people who really know their local areas better than anyone else. We believe that by helping local communities meet their own needs – instead of dictating to them what we think they should do – we stand a better chance of building a long term, sustainable commitment to conservation throughout the country.

When the government announced its proposals to mine conservation land, my first thoughts were with local community groups. They have worked for years to ensure their local patch was protected and looked after, and then the government proposes to dig up some of the most protected land in the country. It was like the government was saying “well, you’ve saved that bit so we’ll dig up this bit then.” Of course the government has now backed away from mining schedule 4, but ironically their new announcements – to look for mining potential on other land – may now put local projects directly in the firing line.

WWF has supported over 400 projects in the last ten years, and we will continue to support projects in the future. We’ve changed our funding in response to the needs of community groups, who can still apply for direct grants from the HPF, but now have a choice of a development fund if they are at an early stage in their thinking, or a project grant if they are ready to start. This split recognises formally what we’ve known for some time – that for many groups, having a small amount of funding to commission a survey, or write a plan, or even hold a meeting with other local people, may be the best investment for them as they try and start their project. Several of the most successful projects we’ve funded, such as Whaingaroa Harbour Care in Raglan, and Te Rangitahi o te Whenua Trust in the Bay of Plenty, were at their very early stages when they applied and the funding from the HPF really helped them get started. Helping community groups get a good plan together, with local community support, means they stand a much better chance of success in the long term.

We also know that the projects we fund are achieving much more than saving local wildlife. We commissioned a report called “Not Just Trees in the Ground” in 2007 which showed unequivocally that conservation projects result in social and economic benefits, such as increased farm productivity, ecotourism opportunities, and improved skills that may help in finding work.

All around New Zealand a host of native wildlife in forests, wetlands, and the high country, from kiwis to penguins to rare skinks, are better off thanks to thousands of unsung heroes who, with small amounts of money and huge amounts of commitment have made a real difference. WWF is proud to have played our part in helping them.