Now it is easier to do your bit to help protect Otago’s biodiversity, with an online pest reporting platform.

Sightings of a rook, the Mediterranean fanworm or other identified pests, can now be reported immediately online, directly alerting the Otago Regional Council Biosecurity team. 

The new online Report Pests form is a quick way to alert the ORC biosecurity team to priority pests or any potential biosecurity threats in the Otago region, team leader Robert Win says.

“This form has been designed to capture information about priority pests in Otago,” he says.

“Priority pests are a significant environmental concern that have either not yet established, or not widely established and have the potential to cause substantial harm, such as moth plant or the freshwater gold clam.”

The form, which can be found on the ORC website as well as on the priority pest pages, works on laptop and mobile devices, and collects pest sighting details, precise location data, and other information for the biosecurity team to investigate.  

People can still use ORC’s 0800 number (0800 474 082) to report pests, but emphasis will be on promoting citizen science and for the public to use the form. 

The pesky moth plant has fist-sized fruit which each produce about 400 seeds. Photo: ORC website

The benefits of using the form directly, rather than going through the ORC customer service team means Information can be passed on in a timelier manner, more accurate pest descriptions and location data can be provided with the forms, and less double handling of information by council staff.

“Citizen science is a valuable way the public can help protect Otago’s environment,” Robert says. 

“Otago is home to many threatened and taonga species. We can help to protect these and the region’s wider indigenous biodiversity if we all work together, especially if biosecurity staff have timely information on pest sightings and exact locations.”

The form lets people upload photos and pin the exact location of the sighting. 

You can leave your contact details or choose to remain anonymous.