Citizen-Led Environment Management : Learning From
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Lincoln University Digital Dissertation Copyright Statement The digital copy of this dissertation is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This dissertation may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the dissertation and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the dissertation. Citizen-led Environment Management: learning from the ‘bush restorers’ November 1997 Rhys E. Taylor Presented in partial fulfilment of the MSc degree in Resource Management, Lincoln University, New Zealand. Rhys Taylor Learning from the bush restorers Acknowledgements To my partner Anne for her patience, emotional support and proof-reading, especially once her MA study had finished and my MSc was still in progress. To 32 enthusiastic and generous project interviewees, dozens of other telephone contacts and those who ‘pilot-tested’ the draft survey - with your help it flew! To MSc student colleagues in the Sustainable Agriculture Research Group, for successfully balancing the work-load demands of a major group project and the early stages of our six personal projects. To Geoff Kerr, my supervisor, for encouragement and challenging criticism, to Roy Montgomery and Stefanie Rixecker in the Department for early discussion of research questions, and Ian Spellerberg for help with travel to Wellington. Thanks are also due to Colin Goodrich, Colin Meurk and John Kape for seminar advice; to Colin Burrows, David Given, Steve Wratten and Vaughan Keesing for sharing their enthusiasm for ecology and Landcare Research Policy Team at Lincoln for providing a relevant work experience. The University Librarians, by employing me once a week, accelerated my learning of research skills and paid me just enough to meet the photocopying bills! To these, and many others, my sincere thanks. Rhys Taylor. Rhys Taylor Learning from the Bush Restorers List of tables Table One Who cares for the native bush (institutional context) Table Two The case study projects List of figures Figure One Route(s) to becoming a bush restoration volunteer Figure Two from Arnstein’s Ladder model of participation Figure Three The research process, 1997 Figure Four Ecological restoration processes Figure Five Bush restoration as outdoor leisure plus environment volunteering Figure Six Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs diagram Figure Seven Age and gender profile of interviewees Figure Eight North Island Map - project locations Figure Nine South Island Map - project locations Figure Ten Recent activities in sample projects Figure Eleven Project photographs (inserted pages preceeding p72) Figure Twelve Individual participant in bush restoration: learning cycle Figure Thirteen Process at organisational level Note on the author Rhys E Taylor is a Christchurch-resident British Citizen, who emigrated to New Zealand and returned to University for a Masters Degree in mid-career. Rhys has field-work and management experience in the UK voluntary sector, in journalism, press relations, research- publishing, rural community development and environmental projects. His first degree is 2.1 Honours in Human Sciences (Oxford University, 1976) and he has three further qualifications. Home E-mail address: [email protected] Telephone: 03 960 2656 (updated 2010) Address: 5/83 Huxley Street, Sydenham, Christchurch 8023 NZ 3 Rhys Taylor Learning from the Bush Restorers Executive summary Citizen-led Environment Management: learning from the bush restorers 1. The resource management issue under consideration is the conservation and ecological restoration of natural lowland forest and its associated plant and animal communities (referred to here as native bush), which have considerable human-use and intrinsic values. 2. Within the issue of native bush conservation in New Zealand, the topic of this research is the phenomenon of citizens’ involvement as pro-active volunteers, tackling ‘bush restoration’ on public or trust-owned sites. This phenomenon is not rare but is little researched. Some key initial questions are: How extensive is citizen-led bush restoration as a means of environmental management? What motivates the volunteers and what factors advance or hinder their efforts? Why is this phenomenon not more widespread in New Zealand society, and how could it be? 3. The research strategy adopted to address the selected topic is firstly a scoping study to define the issue in context, including multi-disciplinary literature review, followed by a structured qualitative telephone survey of a representative sample of restoration project spokespeople. An analysis of these information sources provides insights and understanding related to the research questions, and raises additional questions. 4. Conclusions offer a potential contribution to the national and local-scale policy agenda in support of citizen-led bush restoration. Recommendations seek to recognise the value of voluntary bush restoration, better enable the committed volunteers, promote new voluntary action and improve the skills of volunteers with a view to enhanced quality of work. Rhys E Taylor. November 1997 Department of Resource Managerment PO Box 56, Lincoln University, Canterbury. 4 Rhys Taylor Learning from the Bush Restorers Table of contents Acknowledgements 2 List of tables 3 List of figures 3 Note on the author 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 Citizen-led Environment Management: 4 INTRODUCTION 8 Bush clearance 8 Threats to bush continue 10 Bush restoration 10 Limited existing research 12 Focus of this research 13 Possible ‘decision tree’ leading an individual to involvement in bush restoration. 15 International comparisons 16 The local volunteers 16 Volunteers taking a lead in environmental management 17 Topicality of study 19 Considering influences on bush restoration 20 Summary 21 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 22 Clarification of purpose : problem definition 22 Strengths and limitations of a scoping study 23 An interdisciplinary approach 24 Theoretical perspectives: a qualitative-research paradigm 25 Research Stages during 1997: diagrammatic representation. 27 Focus Groups 28 Sampling strategy 29 Survey design and administration 30 5 Rhys Taylor Learning from the Bush Restorers LITERATURE REVIEW: CONTEXTS FOR RESTORATION 32 Review 1. Why care for native bush: its qualities and values. 32 A scarce rural resource 32 A scarce urban resource 33 Intrinsic values of natural communities and ecosystems 33 Protecting ecosystems for the long-term 34 The ‘environment-care’ volunteers 35 Human use values of native bush 36 Genetic storehouse: retaining biological diversity 36 Contribution to a stable environment 37 Other use values of bush 37 Symbolic and cultural value 38 Transformative value 38 Review 2. What is Bush Restoration? 40 Restoration ecology defined. 40 Restoration in practice. 41 Island sites initially 41 Types of restoration 42 Review 3. Who cares for the native bush? 45 An analysis of institutions 45 The Legislative context 46 Citizen involvement 47 The Resource Management Act and local government 47 Relevant sections of the RMAct 48 Districts using the Environment Court to protect trees and bush 49 Government agencies and environmental policy. 49 Indigenous Forestry Policy 51 Summary and prospect 51 Review 4. Why ‘volunteer’ time to manage the environment? 53 Outdoor and indoor leisure 53 Gender and age factors within outdoor leisure 54 Constraints to leisure activity 55 Volunteering as ‘serious leisure’ 56 Characteristics of volunteers 57 Data on volunteering in NZ 57 Trends in volunteering 59 Constraints on the extent of volunteering 59 Staying involved 59 Volunteers focussed on the environment 60 Is environmental concern discretionary? 61 Selfish and sociable environmental action 63 Intrinsic rewards 64 Summary. 65 Review 5. Why citizen-led? Leadership and Partnerships 66 Waiting for local authorities or DoC to lead? 66 Empowerment 68 The experts vs. The amateur citizens 70 SURVEY FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 72 The interviews 72 Who volunteers? A profile of the interviewees 72 6 Rhys Taylor Learning from the Bush Restorers The case study projects 73 Analysis by occupation 76 Group structure, skills and activity 77 Legal structure and landholding 77 Management 77 Skills of active members 78 The bush restoration focus 78 The voluntary work experience 79 Recent activities in the sample of bush restoration projects 80 ‘Technically easiest part’ 81 ‘Emotionally easiest’ and most satisfying parts 81 The emotional challenges and dis-satisfactions 83 Technical and organisational difficulties 84 District and City Councils 84 Regional Councils 85 The Department of Conservation 86 Further sources of help and advice 86 Funding and help-in-kind 87 Other survey findings 87 CONCLUSIONS: SURVEY ANALYSIS IN WIDER CONTEXT 88 Bush restoration is a significant phenomenon, showing a rise of eco-system awareness in New Zealand’s public 90 Volunteer motivation and what helps or hinders voluntary efforts 91 Could citizen-led bush restoration become more widespread? 91 Weaknesses of present practice, and some responses 92 Building on strengths and opportunities 93 DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS 95 Recognition of the value of voluntary bush restoration 95 Recommendation One: 95 Recommendation Two 95 Enabling the committed volunteers 96 Recommendation Three 96 Recommendation