Designing and trialling solutions image – CAREX Team

Silverstream Project – University of Canterbury, CAREX Initiative

Research & Monitoring – With Descriptor

About the project

Living Water has supported the University of Canterbury’s Canterbury Waterway Rehabilitation Experiment (CAREX) by providing grants for restoration trials undertaken at Silverstream in the Selwyn catchment (next to the Ararira-LII River catchment). CAREX is a region-wide experiment that is stakeholder-driven meaning farmers, councils, iwi and the public co-develop, co-design and trial solutions to rehabilitate freshwater ecosystems.

The results of these experiments can be scaled-up and applied across waterways in the Ararira-LII catchment, the Canterbury region, and potentially across New Zealand.

Robin Smith

Robin Smith

DOC Site Lead, Ararira-LII

We’re looking at tools to try and address all these different things, and its multiple tools in multiple places and in different combinations.

Catherine Febria

Benefits

  • Reduced contaminants entering the Selwyn River and Te Waihora
  • Improved freshwater ecosystems
  • Scalable results
Dr Catherine Febria & Katie Collins at Silverstream

Progress

  • Experiments relating to sediment management, nutrient reduction, weed management and restoration at the Silverstream site in Springston were carried out between 2014-2018
  • Results and toolbox handouts developed from the experiments can be found at www.carex.org.nz
  • Lessons learnt are being applied to Living Water’s on-farm and water network projects in the Ararira-LII catchment and the Waituna catchment in Southland.

Living Water was able to help boost some on the ground actions that we needed. They’ve done a great job of actually bringing the community along on the journey with us so we can focus on the science and we’ve just been able to work to each other’s strengths.

Catherine Febria
Catherine Febria

Catherine Febria

University of Canterbury, School of Biological Science

Read the Case Study