Ecosystem protection and management in New Zealand: a private land perspective

Abstract

In many of the developed nations of the western world, the existing conservation estates are inadequate in both their extent and their representativeness. For improvement, it will be necessary to bring land in private ownership under formal protection. This then raises questions as to the attitudes and behaviour of private landowners in respect of conservation and also with respect to the appropriate planning mechanisms that might foster a private land conservation effort. This study of the Rodney Ecological District in New Zealand includes a description of planning mechanisms that are used to facilitate conservation on private land, focusing on a recently introduced subdivision incentive scheme. The results of a survey of landowners indicate that they are disposed towards conservation, but do not seem to equate conservation with legal protection. There is also a clear indication that those who have adopted the recently introduced subdivision incentive scheme have done so primarily for financial gain. The research suggests a need for a more pluralistic approach to planning for ecosystem protection. Efforts to improve conservation on private land could be informed by research that seeks better explanations of landowner behaviour, and that assists in identifying regional priorities for ecosystem protection and management.