New Zealand’S Sixth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
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New Zealand’s Sixth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Reporting period: 2014–2018 Cover: View of Palliser Bay, looking west from Mt Surf, Aorangi Mountains, southern North Island, New Zealand. Photo: Joe Hansen. This document may be cited as: Department of Conservation 2019: New Zealand’s Sixth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Reporting period: 2014–2018. Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. Available at: https://www.cbd.int/countries/?country=nz. and https://www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/international-agreements/convention-on-biological-diversity/ ISBN (electronic) 978-1-98-851491-8 ISBN (print) 978-1-98-851492-5 Department of Conservation PO Box 10420 Wellington 6143 New Zealand This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. In essence, you are free to copy, distribute and adapt the work, as long as you attribute the work to the Crown and abide by the other licence terms. To view a copy of this licence, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION TO THE 6TH NATIONAL REPORT ........................................................................................................................ 5 1. PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE ENRICHED THROUGH CONNECTION TO NATURE ................................................................................ 7 I. General information .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 II. Implementation Measures ................................................................................................................................................ 7 a) Measure 1 – Environmental Education Strategy and Action Plan ..................................................................................................... 7 b) Measure 2 – Department of Conservation recreation programme ................................................................................................... 8 c) Measure 3 – Children involved in natural environment programmes through the Toyota Kiwi Guardians outreach programme ... 9 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 10 2. PEOPLE ARE TAKING GREATER ACTION FOR NATURE ....................................................................................................... 12 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 12 II. Implementation Measures .............................................................................................................................................. 12 a) Measure 1 – Department of Conservation Community Fund ......................................................................................................... 12 b) Measure 2 – Voluntary Contributions to Conservation ................................................................................................................... 13 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 15 3. BIODIVERSITY IS INTEGRATED INTO NATIONAL AND LOCAL STRATEGIES, POLICIES, PLANS AND REPORTING .................. 16 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 16 II. Implementation measures ............................................................................................................................................... 16 a) Measure 1 – A national environmental reporting series ................................................................................................................. 16 b) Measure 2 – Biodiversity considered in resource management plans and policies ........................................................................ 17 c) Measure 3 – National Policy Statement for freshwater management ............................................................................................ 19 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 20 4. MORE OF NEW ZEALAND’S NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE BENEFITING FROM PEST MANAGEMENT. ................................. 22 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 22 II. Implementation measures ............................................................................................................................................... 22 a) Measure 1 – Battle for Our Birds: landscape-scale control of mammalian predators .................................................................... 22 b) Measure 2 – National Wilding Conifer Control Programme ............................................................................................................ 25 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 27 5. BIODIVERSITY IS INTEGRATED INTO NEW ZEALAND’S FISHERIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ............................................... 29 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 29 II. Implementation Measures .............................................................................................................................................. 29 a) Measure 1 – Fisheries Change Programme ..................................................................................................................................... 29 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 31 6. IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON BIODIVERSITY INFORMS BETTER MANAGEMENT OF VULNERABLE ECOSYSTEMS AND INDIGENOUS SPECIES .............................................................................. 32 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 II. Implementation Measures .............................................................................................................................................. 32 a) Measure 1 – Coastal risk assessment .............................................................................................................................................. 32 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 34 7. SUSTAINABLE USE AND PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY IS PROMOTED THROUGH IMPROVED NATIONAL GUIDANCE, INFORMATION AND INDUSTRY PRACTICES............................................................................................................................... 36 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 II. Implementation measures ............................................................................................................................................... 36 a) Measure 1 – A national policy statement on biodiversity developed by stakeholders ................................................................... 36 b) Measure 2 – Improved decision-making on agricultural land use to maintain soil and water health ............................................. 37 c) Measure 3 – A national environmental standard for plantation forestry ....................................................................................... 38 III. Assessment of Progress ................................................................................................................................................... 39 8. INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES AND PATHWAYS ARE IDENTIFIED AND PRIORITISED, PRIORITY SPECIES ARE CONTROLLED OR ERADICATED, AND MEASURES ARE IN PLACE TO MANAGE PATHWAYS TO MINIMISE LIKELIHOOD OF THEIR INTRODUCTION AND ESTABLISHMENT ............................................................................................................................................................... 42 I. General information ........................................................................................................................................................ 42 II. Implementation measures ............................................................................................................................................... 42 1 a) Measure 1 – Review of pest management plans ............................................................................................................................. 42 b) Measure 2 – Development and implementation of the Biosecurity 2025