Farmer sells land to DOC for $1

A farmer has sold 4ha of potentially valuable farmland for $1 to preserve the plants that live there.

Jeff Ryan and his wife Corrinna were thanked by Conservation Minister Chris Carter yesterday for selling the land in the Nelson Lakes National Park, containing hundreds of rare, frost-tolerant plants to the Nature Heritage Fund.

The site, on the banks of the Howard River, never thaws in winter and is home to more than 100 plants that are nationally endangered. The plants are quickly disappearing from other parts of New Zealand because much of the land they grow on has been cleared.

Mr Ryan, a farmer who runs a winter grazing operation for dairy cows, said he only became aware of the plants' importance after developing a relationship with DOC.

"Brought up in Central Otago, I used to think of the matagouri and the other scrubby-looking plants found around them as weeds," he said.

He planned on developing the land and wanted DOC to check he wasn't doing anything to hurt the environment. What was found on the land staggered DOC workers and prompted Mr Ryan to ensure the plants were protected.

"There are seven very rare types of matagouri, and we have all seven there, he said.

"The amazing thing for me was to see the look on the DOC guys faces."

Once he understood the significance of the plants, Mr Ryan wanted to ensure they would be protected for future generations.

He asked if DOC would like to buy the land, but as the 4ha was potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars if subdivided, DOC said it could not afford it.

"I said, 'Haven't you got a dollar?' They nearly fell over."

He had no second thoughts about selling the land for conservation. It will be managed by DOC and fenced by the Nature Heritage Fund.

He also hoped the gesture might prompt other people to take a closer look at what was growing on their land.

"I believe there are rare plants in New Zealand still threatened only because people don't know they are rare in the first place. If landowners think they might have rare plants on their property, I would encourage them to call DOC."

Mr Ryan has sold the rest of his 370ha property at St Arnaud and now hopes to turn his attention to politics, working on environmental issues within the National Party.

- nzpa