The CPLA, the RMA, and the loss of residual indigenous species habitat in the eastern South Island

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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’ (www.abovehawkesbay.com) and Geoff Rogers for oblique aerial photographs

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

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

6. Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) 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 No. Threatened & At Risk plants

7. Threatened plants of the Mackenzie Basin floor 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) 'Foothills' environments (Lenz Level I E) (mainly moriane landforms, with kettleholes) 'Plains' environments (Lenz Level I N) (reworked outwash & braided riverbed )

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

9. Land reform (tenure review) under the CPLA

10. 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)

11. May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected 1% retained as Special Lease 1% retained as Special Lease 5% privatised with a covenant 5% privatised with a covenant 39% protected (DOC) 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant 55% privatised without a covenant All land allocated in Tenure Review September 2007 90 leases (from 1992) 490,500 ha affected 6% privatised with a covenant Grazing (8%) 43% protected (DOC) 50% privatised without a covenant

12. Threat classification for land environments 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

13. Threatened environments on leases Elevation (m) <10% left Less Reduced and Better Protected

14. Richmond Pastoral Lease Lake Tekapo

15. Richmond Pastoral Lease LEGALLY PROTECTED Lake Tekapo PRIVATISED

16. Braeside Pastoral Lease Hawkdun Range Upper Manuherikia Valley

17. LEGALLY PROTECTED PRIVATISED Braeside Pastoral Lease Hawkdun Range Upper Manuherikia Valley

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

19. May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected 1% retained as Special Lease 1% retained as Special Lease 5% privatised with a covenant 5% privatised with a covenant 39% protected (DOC) 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant 55% privatised without a covenant All land allocated in Tenure Review September 2007 90 leases (from 1992) 490,500 ha affected 6% privatised with a covenant Grazing (8%) 43% protected (DOC) 50% privatised without a covenant

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

21. DOC managers recommended for protection as public land 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Recommendations and achievements for significant inherent values in Tenure Review to Sept. 2007 LINZ achieved protection as public land More developable land More threatened biodiversity % of identified significant inherent values 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 1992-2007

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

23. Highprobability of clearance Low probability of clearance actual % privatisation loss (% clearance of remaining indigenous cover on leases) modeled % indigenous cover remaining in environmentsHigh Risk << >> Low Risk

24. % of remaining indigenous cover on leases predicted to be cleared following privatisation Predicted % clearance of remaining indigenous cover on leases other % indigenous cover remaining in environmentsHigh Risk << >> Low Risk

25. Indigenous vegetation loss under the RMA

26. Indigenous vegetation loss under the RMA Comprehensive data absent! • No LCDB3! • LCDB2 grassland data inaccurate and long out of date (~1990?)

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

28. 1990 2009 Converted by 1990 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Extent of complete conversion

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

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

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

32. Pastoral leases on the Mackenzie Basin floor 1990 2010 Pastoral leases Conservation land (ex leases) overlapping basin floor

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

34. Mackenzie Basin floor Northern Mackenzie Basin floor 2009 Upper Waitaki Hearing: Irrigation application areas Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Irishmans Creek moraines Simons Pass outwash

35. Conclusions