Informing biodiversity management in Otago
Spatial prioritisation informing biodiversity management in Otago
Throughout New Zealand biodiversity faces multiple threats that will lead to its continued decline if these are not actively managed. As well as other agencies with biodiversity responsibilities, Regional Councils have a mandated function to maintain biodiversity within their regions through application of the Resource Management Act.
In 2017, Te Uru Kahika − Regional and Unitary Councils Aotearoa produced a strategic direction and think piece on biodiversity management in New Zealand. The report suggested a range of strategic shifts that could enable regional councils to contribute more effectively to biodiversity management.
One of the suggested shifts championed development of a consistent and systematic spatial prioritisation of sites for biodiversity management which could be utilised by all councils as well as other biodiversity managers. The overall aim of such a prioritisation is to encompass ‘a full and representative range of habitats and ecosystems’ within each region.
Otago Regional Council (ORC) completed the first step in its spatial prioritisation of sites for active biodiversity management across Otago in 2020 using Zonation software to identify a representative proportion of the full range of indigenous biodiversity in the region. Although the Zonation software produced a list of high priority sites, further refinement and review of this network was recommended to ensure sites with high biodiversity values were included and information could support biodiversity management. ORC received an Envirolink Advice Grant (2329) to assist in undertaking this next step and Maanaki Whenua – Landcare Research were engaged to complete the work. The process focused primarily on utilising specialist knowledge of the Otago region and its ecosystems to review the results from the zonation process.
Otago's diverse natural landscapes (ORC)
The key objectives of the work were to:
- Describe a framework of criteria for ensuring inclusion of high-value sites in a network of priority sites for biodiversity management.
- Produce a set of guidelines for further assessment of and updates to the spatial layer of priority sites.
- Identify the key knowledge gaps for indigenous biodiversity in the Otago region that will inform future surveys, research, and management.
Dr Scott Jarvie, a terrestrial ecologist from the Otago Regional Council, says “Although the work focused on the Otago region, objectives 1 and 2 above are applicable to other regions”.
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