Central and Local Government Initiatives

In 1997 the State of New Zealand's Environment Report produced by central government claimed that the decline of the country's native biodiversity was the most serious and pervasive environmental issue. In response, the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy was published in 2000, in an attempt to establish national goals for halting the steady decline of our biodiversity.  For more information visit the Ministry for the Environment website.

The graph (below) from the Biodiversity Strategy shows the steady decline of biodiversity over the twentieth century and the proportion of effort required to halt that rate of decline.

 Graph from the Biodiversity Strategy (89 Kb)

A number of laws provide a level of protection for native plants and animals and their habitats. The Wildlife Act 1953 controls the destruction of native animals and the Resource Management Act 1991 requires that local government provides for the protection of significant natural areas and maintains indigenous biodiversity.

However, the reality is that the practical management of on-the-ground issues like loss of habitat and pest control will need to be improved if biodiversity is to be maintained and unique habitats and species are to survive in the long term.

Many New Zealanders, including iwi groups, private and public agencies and landowners, understand or are beginning to understand, the urgency of this protection and are working towards the sort of practical management that will make a difference. Marlborough is no exception.

The Marlborough District Council has a variety of roles in this work. These include policy development, regulation through rules and resource consents, practical management through its roles as manager of river, road and recreation reserves, and a role in working alongside iwi, community groups and individuals to help promote the protection of the ecology and biodiversity of the Marlborough region.

The Marlborough Significant Natural Areas (SNA) project is the main method Council has used to promote the protection and restoration of biodiversity in the region. See Significant Natural Areas page for more detail on this and other projects.