The CPLA, the RMA, and the loss of residual indigenous species habitat in the eastern South Island Susan Walker New Zealand Plant Conservation Network conference Canterbury Horticultural Society Rooms 57 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch Friday 8 October 2010

Co-incidence/concurrence in eastern South Island Threatened plant distribution Land reform (tenure review) under the CPLA Indigenous vegetation clearance and loss under the RMA

Thanks! Information, data, and photographs David Barrell, Warren Chinn, Joy Comrie, Iain Gover, Nick Head, Bill Lee, Di Lucas, Ian Lynn, Colin Meurk, Tony Perrett, Stuart Reynolds, Geoff Rogers, James Shepherd, Anne Steven, Marta Treskonova, Emily Weeks ‘Above Hawkes Bay’ ( and Geoff Rogers for oblique aerial photographswww.abovehawkesbay.com

Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) No. Threatened plants National distribution (de Lange et al. 2009) Category 1. Nationally critical Category 2. Nationally endangered Category 3. Nationally vulnerable

Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) No. Threatened plants Canterbury’s Threatened plants Category 1. Nationally critical Category 2. Nationally endangered Category 3. Nationally vulnerable

Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) No. Threatened & At Risk plants Canterbury’s Threatened & Declining (i.e. Category 4) plants Category 1. Nationally critical Category 2. Nationally endangered Category 3. Nationally vulnerable Category 4. At Risk

20 Threatened 40 At Risk ( 23% of Canterbury’s ‘Threatened’ and ‘At Risk’ plants) plus 4 Data Deficient ( 11% of Canterbury’s ‘Data Deficient’ Plants) Threatened plants of the Mackenzie Basin floor 'Foothills' environments (Lenz Level I E) (mainly moriane landforms, with kettleholes) 'Plains' environments (Lenz Level I N) (reworked outwash & braided riverbed )

Threatened, At Risk and Data Deficient flora 33 species grasslands & shrublands 31 species wetlands & their margins and turfs

Land reform (tenure review) under the CPLA

High country land reform ‘Tenure Review’ Commenced ~1992 Splits lease land between private and protected tenure ~20% of the South Island Approx. 350 crown- owned long-term pastoral leases (median size 4,500 ha)

39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May leases since ,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May leases since ,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease All land allocated in Tenure Review Grazing (8%) 43% protected (DOC) 50% privatised without a covenant September leases (from 1992) 490,500 ha affected 6% privatised with a covenant

Threat classification for land environments CategoryCategory CriteriaCategory Name 1<10% indigenous cover leftAcutely Threatened 210–20% leftChronically Threatened 320–30% leftAt Risk 4>30% left and <10% protected Critically Underprotected 5>30% left and 10–20% protected Underprotected 6>30% left and >20% protected Less Reduced and Better Protected More developable land, more threatened and less well- protected biodiversity Assumptions Risk to indigenous biodiversity is highest in land environments where habitats for native species have been much reduced in the past and /or are poorly protected today

Threatened environments on leases Elevation (m) <10% leftLess Reduced and Better Protected

Richmond Pastoral Lease Lake Tekapo

PRIVATISED LEGALLY PROTECTED Lake Tekapo Richmond Pastoral Lease

Hawkdun Range Upper Manuherikia Valley Braeside Pastoral Lease

PRIVATISED LEGALLY PROTECTED Upper Manuherikia Valley Hawkdun Range Braeside Pastoral Lease

High probability of protection Low probability of protection % of indigenous cover protected as public land % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk actual modeled From: Walker, Price & Stephens 2008

39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May leases since ,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May leases since ,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease All land allocated in Tenure Review Grazing (8%) 43% protected (DOC) 50% privatised without a covenant September leases (from 1992) 490,500 ha affected 6% privatised with a covenant

% indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk Predicted based on (66 leases to May 2005) % protection as public land Actual (90 leases to September 2007) More recent data are very similar Rogers & Reynolds(Department of Conservation) unpublished

DOC managers recommended for protection as public land More developable land More threatened biodiversity Threat categories from the Threatened Environment Classification (Walker et al. 2007) Data source: Department of Conservation, (Rogers & Reynolds) unpublished data for 69 of the 90 leases reviewed Recommendations and achievements for significant inherent values in Tenure Review to Sept LINZ achieved protection as public land % of identified significant inherent values <10% indigenous cover left 10–20% left20–30% left>30% left and <10% protected >30% left and 10–20% protected >30% left and >20% protected

% privatisation loss % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk 0-20%20-40%40-60%60-80%80-100% Leases have retained more indigenous cover than private land Private land Crown pastoral leases

Low probability of clearance High probability of clearance % privatisation loss ( % clearance of remaining indigenous cover on leases) % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk actual modeled

Predicted % clearance of remaining indigenous cover on leases % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk other % of remaining indigenous cover on leases predicted to be cleared following privatisation

Indigenous vegetation loss under the RMA

Comprehensive data absent! No LCDB3! LCDB2 grassland data inaccurate and long out of date (~1990?)

The Mackenzie Basin floor 'Foothills' environments (Lenz Level I E) (mainly moriane landforms) 'Plains' environments (Lenz Level I N) (much reworked outwash)

Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Extent of complete conversion

2009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Conversion Oversowing & topdressing (41%) Soil cultivation and/or irrigation (50%) Forestry Urban/ Infrastructure

Mackenzie Basin floor 2009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Proposed 2010 on… 2009 Upper Waitaki Hearing: Irrigation application areas

Southern Mackenzie Basin floor Ohau Downs outwash plain proposed for irrigation Wairepo kettleholes – now an island

Pastoral leases on the Mackenzie Basin floor Pastoral leases Conservation land (ex leases) overlapping basin floor

B: 2009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Remaining leases on the Mackenzie Basin floor

Mackenzie Basin floor Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and Upper Waitaki Hearing: Irrigation application areas Northern Mackenzie Basin floor Simons Pass outwash Irishmans Creek moraines

Conclusions