Designing & Planning Sustainable Habitat Configurations in New Zealand’s Cultural Landscapes

1. Designing & PlanningSustainable Habitat Configurationsin New Zealand’s Cultural Landscapes Colin Meurk & Graeme Hall Meurkc@landcareresearch.co.nz

2. NZ landscape at a crossroads – which way the countryside? • Similar development of cultural landscape to England … • But 5000 years crammed into <1000! … & • No equivalent latterday integration of nature, culture & production in NZ – or not yet! • We may carry on along the present trajectory … • or redirect landscape evolution towards preserving NZ’s special identity thru biodiversity & natural character

3. Worse than europe because … • Shade-tolerant invaders take over … • Little native regen. after pressure removed • Small native herbs swamped by exotic grass • Seedbanks dominated by exotic spp.

4. Visibilityof nature • Human memory banks dominated by exotics Sustainable Management & Useof natural resources Identificationwith regional biodiversity & landscape Protectivenesstowards natural values Landscape & Ecological Sustainability & Integrity Feedback System Familiaritywith nature Learningfrom natural processes Enculturationof natural values Quality of Lifedefinition

5. Love it or Lose it! • Habitat loss accelerated Post-RMA – nonsense! • Insulting - community restoration efforts overwhelmed by govt & corporate destruction • Diversionary tactics – huge numbers of strategies, policies & rules gathering dust! • Is it to be a Knowledge Economy or a Dark Ages of trivia, waste, sterility, lost identity, life denial?

6. If Serious … Need to know … • What is likely to happen? • What innovative intervention is possible/necessary to achieve goals of natural character in the NZ landscape? • No longer are we divorced from our role as ‘intelligent’ conductors of landscape form & direction • If we don’t provide leadership then someone else will prescribe our landscape & culture for us! • In this presentation we provide some positive options & guidelines for overcoming the gloomy prognosis for NZ’s biodiversity & landscapes

7. Start with Forest succession model adapted from US Linkages (Pastor & Post 1985) • Reformulated & generalised as LINKNZ (Hall & Hollinger 2000) • Empirically based & tested models (Fiordland, SE NZ pollen, Lake Thompson, Pisa Range, NZ Biomes) • Operates on autecological, physiological & growth properties of trees in relation to climate & soil conditions of a site

8. Bringing in the Spatial Component Successful Propagule Dispersal

9. Linking succession & dispersal

10. Composite scenarios • In fullness of time – distance makes little difference … • Provided there are receptive habitats & … • Pest control … • Kauri or podocarps come to dominate in lowlands – regardless of starting line up (native or exotic). • In contrast, the montane zone, where native beech forests predominate, is in trouble from exotic shade-tolerant invaders

11. Native Plant Colonisation of Receptive Habitats in Cultural Landscapes

12. Applying models to green space planning • Link with island biogeographic approach to reserve design • Bigger is always better, but … • In constrained environments (urban & rural) .. • Have to make compromises … • In general, large iconic bush birds – kiwi, kokako - need remnants >> 6 ha • But, most NZ wildlife is either small (1-6 ha adequate for viable populations) or vagile, so can … • Use stepping stones in a patchy landscape

13. Combining reserve design, dispersal data, stepping stones & visibility/accessibility • 6.25, 1.6 & 0.01 ha forest patches with 50 m buffer have … • 2.25, 0.06 & 0.0 ha core respectively • These should be maximally 5, 2 & 0.02 km apart from patches of their own or larger size • Such an optimum configuration for forest patches in a cultural landscape – allows … • Propagule saturation across whole landscape • Bird habitat virtual continuity • Gene flow between plant & animal populations

14. Optimising Patch Shape – Linear forest patch 625 m 50 m buffer zone 100 m core area = zero ha total area = 6.25 ha Street/playgroundNoble Tree Grove NeighbourhoodHabitat Patch District/Suburb Core Sanctuary 125 m 250 m 10 m 150 m 10 m 25 m 0.01 ha 125 m 25 m core 2.25 ha 150 m 250 m Core 0.06 ha Total area 1.56 ha Buffer zone Total area 6.25 ha skin

15. Percentage Patch Area Calculation Thus 3/6 of patch size in whole triangular area for 6.25 ha at 5 km spacings – Area = ½ x 5 x 4.33 km2 x 100 ha = 1082.5 ha % area occupied by large patches = 6.25 x 3/6 x 100% 1082.5 = 0.29% Total patch area = ca. 4.4% Optimal Forest Patch Pattern & Percentage Patch Area Calculation 60° 1/6 of 6.25 ha patch 4.33 km 60° 60° 5 km 6.25 ha 1 km 0.2 km 5 km 0.01 ha Urban matrix 1.56 ha

16. Frequent dispersal 100 m 100 m Clusters of big trees every 200 m 1 km 500 m 5-10 min walk 1 km 1 ha reserve every km; 5 minutes walk from every home Observed max. dispersal 2.5 km 10 mins cycling 4-10 ha reserve every 5 km; 30 minutes walk/ 10 minutes cycling from every home Integrating People Nature & Landscape

17. The real world of green space planning in SW Christchurch

18. Opportunities … • Plight of NZ biota & Biodiversity Strategy cries out for drastic measures – at a broad landscape level • Positive signs in spontaneous regen. of some native elements • Can manipulate & redirect this dynamic – so long as we stop throwing around time bombs (weeds) • Models test novel ideas about where the biosecurity threats lie in the long term …& how to … • transform exotic plantations into native production systems (for utility & biodiversity)

19. Exotic to Podocarp Plantation - Auckland

22. Biodiverse Landscapes Are Us! • The following visualisations are backed by the data & models presented here • We have to be very patient tho … • may take centuries to restore the landscape - equivalent to the idyll of the english countryside • But if we don’t start now (by preserving the primary habitats or building blocks) the potential will be lost & the goal will be out of reach.

24. Contemporary Dysfunctional Rural Landscape

25. Prospective Integrated Functional Landscape

26. Contemporary utilitarian high country landscape remnant native veg in far distance exotic plantation retirement fence lake protected naturalarea winter wet paddock Moraine with wilding birch, briar, etc drain

27. Biodiverse high country futures remnant native veg, regenerating grazed matagouri woodland retirement fence boundary obscured exotic plantation surrounded by nz trees beech Homestead (opportunity for native rockeries) shelter belt with native border of shrubs short tussock lake native hedgerows protected naturalarea wetland highway Moraine with native shrubs & woodland hay bales behind native hedgerows Stream with riparian vegetation

28. Urban Bio-sterility?

29. Traditional urban conservation of remnants or islands

30. The Native Bush Garden

31. ‘Gardening’ for vulnerable herbaceous biodiversity & wildlife

32. Recommendations – simple really • No more rotations of Douglas fir in high country (estimate 200-250 years for saturation of entire montane beech forest biome) • Research & implement use of sterile pines or hybrids (e.g. Leyland cypress) for forestry • Promote new indigenous forestry by planting & manipulating succession • Get serious about weed control • Promote/facilitate native regeneration in range of semi-production & border habitats (hedgerows, woodlots, road verges, riparian zones, homestead woods) • Restore habitats – as last resort after protection of primary habitat & land surfaces • Integrate biodiversity into urban habitats • Work at landscape/visible level (visibility is key to nature sustainability) • Generate scenarios as goals - incorporating traditional structural elements & indigenous composition

33. Visibility is a key to sustainability – don’t subjugate the Kiwi Identity to …