Chapter 6: Indigenous Biological Diversity, Landscape and Historic Heritage

6.5 Methods

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The main non-regulatory methods the Regional Council will pursue are outlined below as action plan summaries.
 

Method 6-1 Wetlands - Biodiversity
Description The Regional Council and other agencies will work with landowners to protect and enhance priority wetlands throughout the Region. Resources will be directed towards the most significant sites*.

Wetland owners will be provided advice and financial/project management assistance to carry out enhancement and protection measures including fencing, planting, and pest (plant and animal) control. The Regional Council y will seek funding from third parties to assist with this method, and encourage the establishment of covenants.

Monitoring of the effectiveness of the protection and enhancement works will be undertaken.

This method will include publicity to increase public awareness about the importance of wetlands and indigenous biological diversity.
Who Regional Council, landowners, foresters, relevant consent holders, Federated Farmers, Territorial Authorities, Department of Conservation, hapū* and iwi*, non-government agencies including NZ Fish and Game, QEII Trust, NZ Wetland Trust, NZ Landcare Trust and relevant funding agencies including the He Tini Awa Trust, Biodiversity Condition Fund, Nga Whenua Rahui and Ducks Unlimited.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-3.
Targets The top 100 wetlands in the Region are actively managed, including protection or enhancement measures, within 10 years of this Plan becoming operative.
 
Method 6-2 Bush Remnants - Biodiversity
Description The Regional Council and other agencies will work with landowners to protect and enhance priority bush remnants throughout the Region. Resources will be directed towards the most significant sites*

Bush remnant owners will be provided with advice and financial/project management assistance to carry out enhancement and protection measures including fencing, planting, and pest (plant and animal) control. The Regional Council will seek funding from third parties to assist with this method, and encourage the establishment of covenants.

Monitoring of the effectiveness of the protection and enhancement works will be undertaken

This method will include publicity to increase public awareness about the importance of bush remnants and indigenous biological diversity.
Who Regional Council, landowners, foresters, relevant consent holders, Federated Farmers, Territorial Authorities, Department of Conservation, hapū* and iwi*, non-government agencies including QEII Trust and NZ Landcare Trust, and relevant funding agencies including the He Tini Awa Trust, Biodiversity Condition Fund and Nga Whenua Rahui.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-3.
Targets The top 200 bush remnants in the Region are being actively managed, including protection or enhancement measures, within 10 years of this Plan becoming operative.
 
Method 6-3 Sites of Significance - Aquatic
Description The Regional Council and other agencies will work with landowners to protect and enhance water bodies and parts of water bodies that serve an important role in the lifecycle of the Region’s rare and threatened native fish. Resources will be directed towards the most significant sites*.

Owners of land adjacent to water bodies will be provided advice and financial/project management assistance to carry out enhancement and protection measures including fencing, planting, replacement of perched culverts and pest (plant and animal) control. The Regional Council will seek funding from third parties to assist with this method.

Monitoring of the effectiveness of the protection and enhancement works will be undertaken.

This method will include publicity to increase public awareness about the importance of native fish and indigenous biological diversity.  
Who Regional Council, landowners, foresters, relevant consent holders, Federated Farmers, Territorial Authorities, Department of Conservation, hapū* and iwi* and funding agencies including the He Tini Awa Trust, Biodiversity Condition Fund and Nga Whenua Rahui.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-3.
Targets The top 100 Sites of Significance - Aquatic are actively managed, including protection or enhancement measures, within 10 years of this Plan becoming operative.
 
Method 6-4 Inanga Spawning and Native Fishery Sites - Biodiversity
Description The Regional Council and other agencies will work with landowners to protect and enhance water bodies and parts of water bodies (wetlands and streams) that serve an important role in the lifecycle of the inanga and whitebait* species. Resources will be directed towards the most significant sites*.

Owners of land adjacent to water bodies will be provided advice and financial/project management assistance to carry out enhancement and protection measures including fencing, planting, replacement of perched culverts and pest (plant and animal) control. The Regional Council will seek funding from third parties to assist with this method.

Monitoring of the effectiveness of the protection and enhancement works will be undertaken.

This method will include publicity to increase public awareness about the importance of native fish and indigenous biological diversity.
Who Regional Council, landowners, foresters, relevant consent holders, Federated Farmers, Territorial Authorities, Department of Conservation, hapū* and iwi* and funding agencies including the He Tini Awa Trust, Biodiversity Condition Fund and Nga Whenua Rahui.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-3.
Targets The top 30 inanga spawning and native fishery sites* are actively managed, including protection or enhancement measures, within 10 years of this Plan becoming operative.
 
Method 6-5 Biodiversity (Terrestrial and Aquatic) Research, Monitoring and Reporting
Description The aim of this method is to develop an integrated research, monitoring and reporting programme that supports delivery and refinement of existing policies and methods, guides implementation planning, and allows implementation effectiveness to be assessed.
Who Predominantly the Regional Council, with assistance from research institutes, universities, non-government agencies and community groups as required.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-3.  
Targets A research, monitoring and reporting programme that supports delivery and refinement of existing policies and methods, and guides and assesses implementation.
 
Method 6-6 Education in Schools – Biodiversity
Description The aim of this method is to raise awareness amongst the youth of the Region of the significance of indigenous biological diversity, the threats to it, and what they can do to protect/restore it. This will be achieved through various environmental education programmes/initiatives eg., Green RIG, Enviroschools, Trees for Survival and Youth Environment Forum.
Who Regional Council, Department of Conservation and various national and local environmental education providers.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-4.
Targets The Regional Council develops and delivers a biodiversity-related environmental education programme.
 
Method 6-7 District Planning – Natural Features, Landscapes, Historic Heritage and Indigenous Biological Diversity
Description The Regional Council will formally submit on resource consent applications received by Territorial Authorities for land use activities where there is potential for effects on outstanding natural features, landscapes or indigenous biological diversity.

The Regional Council will formally seek changes to district plans if necessary to ensure provisions are in place to provide an appropriate level of protection to natural features, landscapes, historic heritage and indigenous biological diversity.

The Regional Council will formally seek changes to district plans if necessary to ensure district plan rules requiring protection of significant indigenous vegetation and the significant habitats of indigenous fauna do not contradict rules on indigenous biodiversity in this Plan.
Who Regional Council and Territorial Authorities.
Links to Policy This method implements Policies 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, 6-6, 6-8 and 6-9.
Targets
  • Submissions completed on consent applications.
  • District plan changes sought if necessary after this Plan becomes operative.
 
Method 6-8 Consistent Landscape Assessment
Description The aims of this method are:
  1. to develop a consistent and robust characterisation of the landscape within the Region and consistent identification of outstanding natural features and landscapes, and
  2. to include specified areas in any future landscape assessments.
The Regional Council will collaborate with Territorial Authorities to develop and adopt consistent methodology for undertaking any assessment of landscape including for the purposes of identifying the outstanding natural features and landscapes within the Region. The methodology will include consideration of Policy 6-7 and the factors detailed in Table 6.1.

The Regional Council will make available relevant resource data including maps suitable for the study area description.

A number of areas have been identified by the Regional Council that should be included during landscape assessments undertaken by the Regional Council and Territorial Authorities and include:
  1. Central North Island tussocklands
  2. Eastern Desert Road landscape
  3. Moawhango Ecological Region including the Moawhango Gorge, Makirikiri Tarns and Reporoa Bog, and the Kutaroa and Otahupitara Swamps (Irirangi Swamp)
  4. Waimarino - Erua - National Park fault scarp
  5. Western Edge of the Volcanic Plateau
  6. Landguard Bluff
  7. Lake Horowhenua and its margins
  8. Lake Papatonga and its adjacent scenic reserve.
The Regional Council will assist territorial authorities undertaking landscape assessments to define more specifically areas of high natural character and outstanding natural features and landscapes within the coastal environment of the Region.
Who Regional Council and Territorial Authorities.
Links to Policy This method implements Policy 6-7.
Targets Methodology for assessment of natural features and landscapes agreed between the Regional Council and Territorial Authorities within one year of this Plan becoming operative.
 
Method 6-9 Indigenous Biodiversity Advice and Information
Description The aim of this method is to provide landowners and other parties with an interest in biodiversity with advice and information about the state of biodiversity in the Region, information about the rules and methods contained within this Plan to manage indigenous biodiversity, and advice about how these methods and rules will be implemented. This includes providing guidance on the rules contained within this Plan so that they can be easily understood and used by landowners.
Who Regional Council, with assistance from landowners and community groups as required.
Links to Policy This method implements Policies 6-3 and 6-4.
Targets An education and advice programme that is freely available and allows those interested to understand and use the methods and rules provided for in this Plan.
 
Method 6-10 Proactive Identification of Historic Heritage
Description The aim of this method is to determine an approach to provide for the proactive identification of historic heritage resources within the Region and should be read in conjunction with Method 8-4.

The approach may include the development of a Region-wide database or list of areas with a high potential for containing unidentified historic heritage sites* and structures, amendments or variations to existing regional or Territorial Authority plans, or agreed partnerships for funding and carrying out surveys

Regional Council, Territorial Authorities, Heritage New Zealand, New Zealand Archaeological Association, hāpu* and iwi* and landowners.
Who Regional Council, Territorial Authorities, Heritage New Zealand, New Zealand Archaeological Association, hāpu* and iwi* and landowners.
Links to Policy/Method This method implements Policies 6-11 and 6-12 and Method 8-4.
Targets An approach is agreed upon within two years of this Plan becoming operative.

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