A significant investment in landscape-scale conservation across Otago
Date: 29th October 2026
Southern Lakes Sanctuary (SLS) has welcomed a landmark investment from Otago Regional Council, with councillors unanimously approving $1.8 million over three years to support predator control and threatened species recovery across the Southern Lakes.
The funding, awarded through Council’s Large-scale Environmental Fund, will enable SLS to maintain predator suppression across approximately 250,000 hectares, while extending active suppression into a further 50,000 hectares.
It is an important vote of confidence in the collaborative, landscape-scale approach that underpins SLS, bringing together communities, landowners, businesses, conservation organisations and funders to achieve outcomes that no single organisation could deliver alone.
SLS CEO Paul Kavanagh says the investment recognises the strength of the existing conservation platform across the Southern Lakes and provides an important foundation for its next phase of work.
“We’re incredibly grateful for this investment and the confidence Otago Regional Council has placed in our work. We take the responsibility that comes with public funding very seriously, and are committed to delivering meaningful, measurable conservation outcomes.
“Our work spans an immense and rugged landscape, from farmland and accessible reserves to remote valleys and alpine terrain where getting people, equipment and monitoring systems into the field takes considerable planning, expertise and resources. Volunteers are at the heart of conservation across our region, but protecting a landscape of this scale also requires dedicated teams and infrastructure to reach places where sustained predator control would otherwise be difficult or unfeasible.
“This investment is an incredible boost. It gives us greater confidence to build on what’s already been achieved, extend our work further and keep working towards our ambition to connect and support conservation across the full 850,000-hectare Southern Lakes project area. Realising that vision will require further investment, but ORC’s commitment gives us a strong foundation to build on.”
Building a more connected predator free Otago
Alongside its investment in the Southern Lakes, Council has approved $1.5 million over three years for Predator Free Dunedin (PFD), a conservation collective of more than 20 organisations working towards large-scale pest elimination in Dunedin.
SLS is proud to be working more closely with PFD through this shared investment. Both organisations have established partnerships, operational capability and co-investment in place, providing a strong foundation for delivering environmental outcomes at scale.
The investment also creates an opportunity for the two organisations to share their experience, systems and expertise with emerging conservation groups across Otago. By helping these groups build capability, learn from established programmes and access proven approaches, SLS and PFD can help strengthen connections between local initiatives and support a more coordinated approach to predator control across the region.
Paul says this opportunity to support conservation beyond SLS’s own project area is an important part of the investment.
“We know how much it takes to establish and sustain effective predator control, from the technology and systems behind the work to the people, partnerships and practical knowledge needed to deliver it. There’s real value in helping other groups build on that experience rather than having to start from scratch.
“Alongside delivering our own programmes, we’re looking forward to working more closely with Predator Free Dunedin and supporting emerging conservation initiatives to grow their capability. Over time, that can help create a more connected network of predator-control efforts across Otago, with stronger links between communities and a shared ambition to protect and restore nature at scale.”
A foundation for the next phase
While the Council investment is a significant milestone, it is one part of the funding needed to sustain and grow conservation at this scale. SLS will continue working with philanthropic trusts, businesses, government partners and other supporters to secure the long-term investment required to maintain existing gains, expand predator suppression and support threatened species recovery.
SLS acknowledges Otago Regional Council and its councillors for their support, alongside the wider network of partners, landowners, volunteers and funders whose sustained commitment makes landscape-scale conservation possible.
Together, we have an opportunity to protect the Southern Lakes’ natural heritage and pass on a richer, healthier environment to the generations who will call this place home.
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