Preventing loss of indigenous biodiversity and managing invasive species

Issue

Despite the efforts of many landowners, organisations and community groups, we are still losing indigenous biodiversity throughout Waitaha/Canterbury.

Causes

Habitat destruction and fragmentation, invasive species, climate change, and the impacts of use and development on land, freshwater, and the coastal environment.

Why it matters

Indigenous animals and plants are precious taonga. They are important to our national identity and enhance our recreational experiences. They are part of Māori tikanga (beliefs, values and customary practices) and whakapapa, (ancestry, belonging) and many species are important mahinga kai (traditional food sources). Some species have roles in keeping our water clean, our soils fertile and in helping reduce flooding. Healthy indigenous ecosystems can sequester more carbon and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. There are many ways indigenous species and habitats contribute to our economy, such as through our fisheries and as a drawcard for tourism.

Our current goals

Our Regional Policy Statement includes some direction that must be implemented and other direction that should be implemented. We have included these in two categories below:

1. Things we must do

This is very strong policy direction that is required to be implemented:

• To protect Canterbury’s areas and habitats of significant indigenous plants and animals from the adverse effects of activities, development and land use.
• To enhance the relationship of Ngāi Tahu with their sites and habitats of biodiversity of cultural significance.

2. Things we should do

This policy direction is strongly encouraged:

• To promote the improvement and protection of the long-term viability of regionally and nationally prioritised indigenous ecosystems in Canterbury.
• To promote more initiatives that protect and enhance Canterbury’s indigenous biodiversity.

Should we change our goals?

When we consider changing goals, we need to keep in mind that other on-the-ground changes will be required to meet them. We also need to keep in mind that some of our must-do policy direction was necessary to meet the national legislation requirements of the time. Some new must-dos will be needed to meet more recent legislation.

Potential impacts of changing our policy direction

We have outlined some of the potential consequences that could result from changing our policy direction. These are high-level examples, just to illustrate that each change will have flow-on effects.

For example to achieve better protection of our remaining indigenous biodiversity, we may need to consider the impacts from a wider range of land uses or activities or to manage them in a way that better protects our indigenous plants and animals for future generations. Changing the goals from protection towards restoration and enhancement could improve the viability of our ecosystems and community well-being into the future, but will require significant public investment to achieve.

We are using the feedback we received in July and August to draft more detailed policy options, including detail about the consequences of change. You will get another opportunity to tell us what you think about those options in October this year.