1 / 29

Ecosystem Services in practice at a catchment level:

Ecosystem Services in practice at a catchment level: a decade of integrated work on the Motueka River Catchment. Roger Young, Paul Gillespie Cawthron Institute Andrew Fenemor, Chris Phillips, Garth Harmsworth Landcare Research Will Allen Learning for Sustainability

vance-pace
Download Presentation

Ecosystem Services in practice at a catchment level:

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Ecosystem Services in practice at a catchment level: a decade of integrated work on the Motueka River Catchment Roger Young, Paul Gillespie Cawthron Institute Andrew Fenemor, Chris Phillips, Garth Harmsworth Landcare Research Will Allen Learning for Sustainability Margaret Kilvington Independent Social Research

  2. Why use a catchment scale? • Natural geographical and hydrological unit • Flows and stocks of water, sediment and contaminants are contained within catchment boundaries • Regional governance largely reflects these boundaries

  3. Simple systems • Call for generic solutions (or recipes) that work every time and don’t require new skills or infrastructure

  4. Complicated systems • Require a high level of skills and coordination, formulae are necessary, and there is a high degree of certainty in the outcome

  5. Complex systems • Every situation is unique, uncertainty of outcome remains, expertise can help but isn’t sufficient, quality of relationships are crucial

  6. ICM – a new approach? • Managing multiple issues in an integrated way • Ridge tops to the sea • Economic benefit while maintaining environmental, • social and cultural values • Working with communities

  7. ICM….. is a process Fenemor et al. in press. NZ Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research

  8. The Motueka Case-Study

  9. Why Motueka? • Microcosm of NZ • Land use intensification • Increasing demand for water • Demand for sea space • Multiple interests • Not broken yet

  10. An Ecosystem Services approach? “ICM offers a way of addressing and understanding the cumulative effects on the environment of all activities within a catchment. An integrated framework is required to ensure that individual redesign efforts cumulatively lead to the maintenance of natural capital…. and recognising that some activities may not be appropriate for the sensitivity of the surrounding environment.” (PCE 2004). • Systems approach • Working across interfaces • Social process builds common understanding • Common metrics for managing the environment

  11. An Ecosystem Services approach? “All is One” Tegan Lamont, Motueka High School

  12. Ecosystem Services at a Catchment Scale Disturbance regulation Water regulation and supply Erosion control Nutrient cycling Waste treatment Refugia/Habitat Food production Raw materials Recreation Cultural 11 of 17 ES’s mentioned in Costanza et al. (1997)

  13. Ecosystem Services at a Catchment Scale Disturbance regulation Water regulation and supply Erosion control Nutrient cycling Waste treatment Refugia/Habitat Food production Raw materials Recreation Cultural

  14. Ecosystem Services at a Catchment Scale Disturbance regulation Water regulation and supply Erosion control Nutrient cycling Waste treatment Refugia/Habitat Food production Raw materials Recreation Cultural

  15. Water regulation and supply • Up to 25% of river flow from Groundwater • Groundwater inputs affect water temp in gaining reaches • Temperature has strong effects on habitat suitability •  River and Groundwater should be managed together Olsen & Young (2009) Hydrogeology Journal 17: 175-183

  16. Water regulation and supply Flow = 4 m3/s • Environmental flow setting • Instream habitat modelling  Minimum flow and allocation limit recommendations Young & Thomas (2006) Report to TDC Resource Management Policy Committee.

  17. Nutrient cycling

  18. Nutrient cycling Silicon • Catchment loads modelled • Denitrification estimated • N Inputs ~40% of assimilation capacity • Eutrophication unlikely • Nutrients probably having beneficial effects on productivity • But there still could be some effect on harmful algal bloom intensity  Nutrient management not currently critical for the whole Bay, but could be site-specific effects Gillespie et al (in press) NZ Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

  19. Nutrient cycling/Waste treatment 6 km (AMA) 1 to 2 km + - Cornelisen et al (in press) NZ Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

  20. River plume ecosystems

  21. Cultural • Cultural health indicators • Incorporate a Māori perspective of rivers/streams • Use of mātauranga Māori (knowledge) • Identifies issues and change from Māori viewpoint • Links Māori wellbeing and river/stream health • Reporting, planning and policy He Oranga mo nga Uri Tuku Iho trust

  22. Indicators • Tangaroa • Water Clarity • Water Flow • Water Quality • Shape and form of river, riverbank condition, sediment • Insects • Fish • Tāne Mahuta • Riparian vegetation • Catchment vegetation • Bird life (species) • Ngahere/Taonga • Pests • Haumia tiketike • Mahinga kai • Rongoa • Tūmatauenga • Human activity, Use of river • Access • Cultural sites • Tāwhirimātea • Smell

  23. Links between science and cultural indicators • Some strong correlations, some weak • Strong correlation between cultural health and % of catchment area in natural cover • Science/cultural monitoring together give a rich, full picture of the environment • Cultural indicators potentially useful for ecosystem services assessment Harmsworth et al (in press) NZ Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research.

  24. Ecosystem Services as a dialogue tool • No one group/community/agency has all the answers • Need to bring people together to share information • Ecosystem services – fluid definition • Starting point for conversation • Shared interest but not yet a fixed view

  25. Travelling River – Arts/Science collaboration

  26. Ecosystem Services as a dialogue tool • Other examples • AGM’s • Online discussion group • Sediment learning group • Community reference group • Watershed talk Kilvington et al. A & B (in press) NZ Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research. Allen et al. (in press) NZ Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research.

  27. Conclusions • Many ecosystem services are apparent at the catchment scale • ICM – strong similarities to ecosystem services approach • Systems approach • Working across interfaces • Social process builds common understanding • Common metrics for managing the environment • Managing the interactions among ecosystem services a key challenge • Examples of ecosystem services thinking • Ecosystem services as a platform for dialogue

  28. More info… • http://icm.landcareresearch.co.nz • Special issue of the New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research on Integrated Catchment Management • Due out next month • 16 papers

More Related