The trust fighting wilding pines on Mid Dome and a fisherman who has spent three decades protecting Fiordland's marine area were among those honoured as Environment Southland's Environmental Champions awards marked their 30th year.

The regional council announced the winners on 23 October after a ceremony the previous evening. The awards, the council said, celebrate "remarkable projects from protecting critically endangered species and tackling wilding pines to growing food for local communities".

The Councillors' Award went to the Mid Dome Wilding Trees Charitable Trust for its work protecting northern Southland's high country from the spread of wilding pines. Environment Southland's own assessment of the Mid Dome problem is stark: if the trees are not eradicated, it predicts wilding pines in the area will overwhelm 61,000 hectares of high country tussock and pastoral grassland in the short term.

Pete Young, a fisherman, conservationist and community leader, received the Tohu Pou award, which is not presented every year, for 30 years of service protecting and preserving the Fiordland marine area.

A new honour, the Te Tohu Kahika award, was presented for the first time. It went to Jenny Campbell for many years of supporting, encouraging and championing environmental projects across Southland and making sure the work was recognised.

Councillor Maurice Rodway, one of the judges, said the awards recognised "people who quietly get on with the job of caring for the environment", according to What's On Invers, which reported the full results. Fellow judge Councillor Ewen Mathieson said the winners "don't do this work for awards or recognition".

The category winners were spread across the region. Riversdale Community Garden won the Emerging Environmental Action category, with the Southern Environmental Working Group highly commended.

Paws for Conservation won the Biodiversity and Biosecurity category, ahead of the highly commended Hollyford Conservation Trust. Thornbury School took the Education award.

The South Coast Environment Society won the Community category, with Kiwi Harvest highly commended. In Wetlands and Waterways, the Edendale Aquifer Group won and a Hokonui Rūnanga initiative was highly commended.

Bluff Distillery won the Environmental Leadership and Innovation in Business category, with Toni and Rob Auld's Boohai Wetland highly commended. Mararoa Station, managed by Pāmu, won Environmental Leadership in Farming, ahead of Mangapiri Downs Organic Stud Farm.

Glenda Rees won the Individual Environmental Leadership or Action category, with Robyn Guyton highly commended.

Category sponsors included Southern Land & Water Planning, the Invercargill Licensing Trust, Fonterra, Real NZ, Southland Fish & Game, Milford Sound Tourism, Wynn Williams and ANZ.

Now in their 30th year, the awards are run through Environment Southland's community awards programme, with the full list of winners and highly commended entries published on the council's website.