Public Access to Privately-Owned Planted Forests: An Environmental Service Under a Private-Public Partnership Property Rights Regime

Abstract

The demand for forest environmental services for human well-being (e.g. physical exercise and recreation) is increasing especially in urban areas. However, providing the service in an affordable way to the public is a growing policy problem. In this paper, we present the case of the Whakarewarewa (Whaka) forest in Rotorua as an example of a privately managed planted forest that provides free access for recreational walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders. The 5667 hectare Whaka forest is situated close to the Rotorua town with 677 hectares being managed as a forest park by the Rotorua District Council while the rest are mainly production forests managed by the a forest company called Kaiangaroa Timberlands Limited. Kaiangaroa Timberlands has a government license to plant and cut forest trees. Public access to the forest for recreational uses was assured when the New Zealand government handed over the Whaka forest land to the trust of Maori Central North Island Iwi (CNI) as a part of Waitangi treaty settlement in 2008. Both the Whaka Forest Park and production forest have recreational trails which are maintained by the joint forces of Rotorua Mountain Biker’s Club and the Rotorua District Council. This scenario makes the Whaka Forest a private managed planted forest used for public health fitness and recreation. The public use of the forest has also fostered local businesses (e.g. mountain bike retailers and a mountain bike shuttle service). This paper aims to illustrate how this institutional framework evolved and identify what institutional arrangements sustain this service provision mechanism. In a nutshell, this paper presents a private-public partnership model of property rights (contract) structure. From this study, we also aim to draw some policy implications on the management of ecosystem services of planted forest under private-public partnership property right regime in similar areas.