Indigenous biodiversity
Development of regional policy statement biodiversity objectives
The development of specific and measurable regional policy statement objectives for biodiversity can be a difficult process. The following discussion provides background information that may assist regional councils with this.
New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy
The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy (NZBS) provides guidance on appropriate biodiversity objectives. Goal Three of the NZBS delivers the bottom line. It is to halt the decline in New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity. The main objectives under this goal are to:
- “Maintain and restore a full range of remaining natural habitats and ecosystems to a healthy functioning state, enhance critically scarce habitats, and sustain the more modified ecosystems in production and urban environments; and do what else is necessary to
- Maintain and restore viable populations of all indigenous species and subspecies across their natural range and maintain their genetic diversity.”
These general objectives may form a useful basis for councils developing their own objectives. However, they are qualitative in approach and it would be easier over time to monitor a more quantitative set of objectives. The NZBS provides a suite of desired outcomes for each habitat in relation to key issues. Many of these are more quantitative and easier to monitor. These have been summarised in table 4.
Table 4: Summary of NZBS desired outcomes by ecosystem type
| Land | Freshwater | Coastal and marine | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat extent | Net gain in extent and condition. | Extent and condition of ecosystems and habitats maintained. | Habitats and ecosystems maintained in a healthy functioning state. |
| Habitat condition | Scarce and fragmented habitats increased in area and in better health, some modified habitats restored. | Scarce and degraded habitats increased in area and in better health. | Degraded habitats are recovering. |
| Legal protection | More representative range of habitats and ecosystems in legal protection on public and private land. | Intact areas protected, natural character maintained. | Representative range of marine habitats and ecosystems protected. |
| Pest management | Increased and more effective pest control has restored ecosystem functioning. | All freshwater ecosystems dominated by indigenous species. | Threats from pests reduced and controlled. |
| Pest prevention | No new pests established. | No further spread of pests and pests eradicated where necessary. | No new pests established. |
| Extinction | No further human-induced extinctions. | No further human-induced extinctions. | No further human-induced extinctions. |
| Population range | Populations of all indigenous species sustained in natural or semi-natural habitats. | ||
| Genetic diversity | Genetic diversity of indigenous species maintained. | ||
| Threatened species | Fewer threatened species require active recovery programmes. | Threatened species on their way to recovery in their natural habitats. | Rare and threatened species are recovering through protection from human activity. |
| Resource use | Threats to indigenous species from human activity avoided or mitigated. | Threats to freshwater biodiversity from human activity avoided or mitigated. | Threats from human activity avoided or mitigated, harvest or development sustainable. |
| Game species | Introduced game species managed to protect native species. | ||
| Harvest | Sustainable harvest of species. | Rare and threatened species protected from harvest. |
return to indigenous biodiversity policies – overview
Action Biocommunity Summit
Dr Bill Lee of Landcare Research presented the following objectives at the Action Biocommunity Summit in 2004:
- no further species extinction
- 20 per cent of all environments dominated by indigenous species
- 20 per cent of specialised habitats dominated by indigenous species.
The 20 per cent figure is based on biogeography theory, with generalised species-area curves indicating that below about 20 per cent, the number of species an area can support decreases rapidly. Twenty per cent is a bare minimum and first priority, not a target to either stop at or, worse, to allow areas of better indigenous cover to be reduced to.
Find out further information about threatened environments and the reasoning behind the 20 per cent figure.
To achieve these objectives, Lee suggested that priority be given to:
- increasing representativeness by focusing on habitats and ecosystems poorly represented within the existing protected area network
- decreasing vulnerability by focusing on habitats and ecosystems at significant risk of irreversible loss.
return to indigenous biodiversity policies – overview
Statements of national priorities
The Statement of National Priorities for Protecting Rare and Threatened Indigenous Biodiversity on Private Land.
The New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 1994 (and proposed 2008 document) provides guidance on national priorities for biodiversity in the coastal environment. Policies address national priorities including:
- avoiding adverse effects on areas important to the continued survival of any indigenous species and areas containing nationally vulnerable species or outstanding examples of indigenous community types
- avoiding or remedying adverse effects on areas containing outstanding or rare indigenous community types, habitats important for endangered or rare species and areas important to migratory species
- protecting ecosystems that are unique to the coastal environment and vulnerable to modification
- preserving coastal ecosystem processes and intrinsic values.
return to indigenous biodiversity policies – overview
Detailed consideration for formulation of regional policy statement objectives
Additional matters that might be considered when preparing regional policy statement objectives could include:
- preventing further loss of indigenous vegetation cover from the region
- increasing the level of legal and physical protection of ecosystems that are under-represented in extent and in degree of legal protection
- restoring or recreating ecosystem types that have been depleted to less than 20 per cent of their known pre-human range in the region
- restoring indigenous cover to Land Environments of New Zealand to a minimum of 20 per cent by area
- restoring the health and functioning to a representative range of each ecosystem type
- protecting and restoring examples of each type of ecological sequence and habitat mosaic represented in the region (eg, mountains to the sea, forest/wetland/geothermal mosaics)
- recreating ecosystems/sequences that have been lost from the region (eg, dune to forest sequence)
- preventing further loss of any indigenous species from the region
- reintroducing indigenous species that have been lost from the region
- returning indigenous species to their natural habitat
- expanding the range of indigenous species that are in the region
- protecting and restoring corridors and linkages, particularly those needed for different life-stages (eg, freshwater fish)
- protecting and restoring breeding and feeding habitats for coastal bird and fish species.
When preparing objectives, the provisions of s32 of the Resource Management Act 1991 must be considered particularly with regard to the policies that might be needed to deliver the proposed objectives. See the Writing provisions for regional and district plans guidance note for more information.
return to indigenous biodiversity policies – overview
