Future marine trends

Auckland’smarineareaswilldeclineinthecoming decadesinwaysthatwon’tbeobviousuntilitistoolate. In particular there will be less variety of life and some edible species will continue to decline and eventually disappear. Although coastal waters close to urban areas are already suffering,theseeffectsmayextendalongthecoastassediment and nutrients running off rural land and developing urban areas harm the marine environment. The types of contaminantsarechanging,sokeepinganeyeontheseisimportant. Although changes to technology may cut down contaminantsproducedperperson,therewillbemorepeople.Greaterawarenessandcontrolofcontaminants may be one of the key ways to reduce pressures on Auckland’spreciousmarineareas.

What the ARC is doing to improve Auckland’s marine areas

Bycontinuingthelongtermmonitoringprogrammes,wecan determine if things are getting better or worse and can thenidentifyenvironmentalissuesthatfeedintopolicy, and assess if current policy is working.

ManyoftheissuesforAuckland’smarineareasrelatetostormwater run off from surrounding land. As described inthefreshwatersection,theARCusescatchmentmanagementplans,supportslowimpacturbandesign andprovidesa24hourpollutionresponseteamtohelpmanage stormwater discharges.

Ongoingworkwithlocalcouncilstoimprovewastewaterdischarges has already improved beach water quality. Beach cleans ups such as those run by the Waitemata CleanUpTrustaresupportedbyARCandotheragencies.The Trust works with schools to educate people about marinelitter,aswellaswiththecommunitytoremovelitterfromtheWaitemataharbour.About1,806m3 of rubbish (about60standardshippingcontainers)hasbeenremovedfrom the sea since 2002.

Inthecoastalarea,theARChasrulesandregulationsforstructuressuchasmoorings,marinas,boatrampsandjetties,andfordredgingandotheractionsthataffectthecoast.TheARCworkswithlocalcouncilstomaintainand protect the coast.

TheARChasaCoastalEnhancementFundtosupportpeople who want to restore or protect areas of the coast. In2009/10theARCgranted$336,000toarangeofprojectsincludingastudyoftheBryde’swhaleintheHaurakiGulf.

Since2008theARChasbeencampaigningforgreatercontrol of vehicles on beaches to limit damage to sensitive areas and avoid dangerous practices.

TheARCrecognisesthespecialvalueoftheHauraki Gulfandtakesitintoaccountwhenconsideringworks or activities within the region that could affect the area.

TheARCmanagesmarineareasusingthefollowing:ProposedAucklandRegionalPlan:Air,LandandWater;IntegratedCatchmentManagementPlans(ICMPs);AucklandRegionalPlan:Coastal;CoastalCompartmentManagementPlans(non-statutory)andtheHauraki GulfForum.

What can you do?

• Mostthingsyoudoonlandtohelptheenvironmentwillhelpthemarineenvironment,too.

• Onlywatershouldgodownstormwaterdrainsbecause they lead directly to the sea untreated.

• Goodlandmanagementlikeriparian(streambank)planting and fencing streams can help reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering the marine environment.

• Coastalplantingscanhelpprotecttheshoreline from erosion and filter out contaminants.

• Joinabeachcaregrouporstartashellfishmonitoring programme with your community.

• Reportwaterpollutiontothe24-hourPollutionHotlineon093773107.

• Pickuplitteryouseeonthebeachorinthewater.

MarineMarine

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Tab.

8 native forest and fragmentation across the country and region (Source:MfEandmodifiedfromEwers,2006).

Biodiversity is commonly defined as the variety of life. The Auckland region, like the rest of new Zealand, is a terrestrial biodiversity hot spot due to the variety of forest, shrubland, wetlands, dune ecosystems and their associated species.

It is widely understood that native biodiversity in the Aucklandregionisunderthreatfrom:

• thecontinuedlossandfragmentationofnativelandcover,including ecosystem types with less than 10 per cent of habitat remaining

• thecontinuedimpactandincreasingthreatofinvasivespecies and diseases

• overharvesting

• pollution

• climatechange.

It is also increasingly clear that adverse impacts from one threatcanbeexacerbatedbyothers.Forexample,habitatfragmentation combined with the effects of invasive species can degrade the health of small ecosystems.

What is measured?

A number of monitoring programmes assess the condition ofterrestrialbiodiversity,identifythemainissues,anddetermine the effectiveness of conservation management.

We have developed a more comprehensive and integrated monitoring programme to better enable us to assess the state of the environment and measure the efficiency and effectiveness of our policy and management initiatives.

WeusetheLandCoverDatabasetolookatthechangestolandcover(andhencehabitats),wemeasurethefragmentationofexistingareas,evaluatethehealthof HighConservationValuesites,andassesthevulnerability ofthreatenedspeciesandtheextentandimpactofpestflora and fauna.

Results

• Beforehumansettlement,93percentofAucklandwasnativeforest;thisisnow27percent.Thishascausedadecline in biodiversity and an increase in the number of threatenedecosystemsandspecies.SomeecosystemsinAucklandarecriticallydepleted,coveringlessthan10percentoftheiroriginalextent.Thesearekauriforests(9percent),freshwaterwetlands(4percent),coastalforests(3percent)andmainlandlavaforests(0.5percent). This decline has occurred because of human settlement and the associated loss and fragmentation of native land cover and habitats.

• Table8showsthattheaveragehabitatfragmentsizein the Auckland region is only 21ha compared with a national averageof110ha.Also,theproportionofedgehabitatintheAucklandregionisrelativelyhighat1.30kmperkm2 comparedwiththenationalaverageof0.81kmperkm2. AucklandandNorthlandaresimilarintermsofforestfragmentsizeandproportionofedgehabitat,butWaikatogenerally has larger forest fragments and a smaller proportion of edge habitat.

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26,426,398 57,231 110 0.81

north island

11,401,890 41,927 61 0.93

Auckland region

591,161 2264 21 1.10

waikato 2,500,000 8207 196 0.83

*TheHaurakiGulfIslandsareexcludedfromtheAucklandanalyses.

• Between2004and2009theconditionoftheforestat202HighConservationValue(HCV)forestsiteswasassessed to better understand the condition of remaining ecologicallysignificanthabitats(seeFigure19).Despitethelevelofhabitatfragmentation,manyHCVsiteswereinverygood(13percent)orgood(43percent)condition,although34percentwereinpoororverypoor(10percent) condition.

TwoHCVsiteswerelostbecausethevegetationhadbeenclearedcompletely.AlargeproportionofHCVsites suffered from weeds at the forest edge and poor regeneration of native plants and understorey browsing bymammals.Morepositively,weedsintheforestinteriorsandpossumdamagewerenotamajorissue,which presumably reflects the scale and effectiveness of possum control operations across the Auckland region. Althoughungulates(pigs,goats,deerandlivestock)werenotaswidelydistributedaspossums,wheretheydidoccur their impacts were often significant.

• TheAucklandregionharbours20percentof NewZealand’snationallythreatenedterrestrialvertebrates.Thisincludesbothspeciesofnativebat, 36birds,10reptilesandonefrog.Severalofthesethreatened species are probably found nowhere else (e.g.,blackpetrel,NewZealandstormpetrel,andchevron skink).

• Theregionalsohas169speciesofplantsthatareclassifiedasnationallythreatened,including35nowconsideredregionallyextinctandseventhatarefoundonly in the Auckland region.

• Anecdotalevidencesuggeststhatanumberofthreatenedspecies,suchastheAucklandgreengeckoandpingaocontinuetodecline.However,alackofinformationmakesitdifficulttoascertainspecies-specificor general trends.

Terrestrial biodiversity Terrestrial biodiversity

Fig.

19 Summed scores for forest condition for HCV sites in the Auckland region, 2004-09 (Source:ARC)

Fragments and edges

Habitatfragmentationimpacts native biodiversitybecauseitreducesthesizeofthehabitat,increasesthedegreeofisolation,and

increases the amount of edge habitat.

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Terrestrial pests

Invasiveanimals,plantsandotherorganismshaveplayedamajorroleinthedeclineofnativebiodiversity.Speciesbecome invasive when they spread rapidly and adversely impact their new environment. They pose an ongoing threat to native terrestrial biodiversity because they may compete with or prey on native plants and animals.

Pest mammals have had a profound effect on the natural environment.Nativevegetationhasbeensignificantlyaltered by introduced mammalian herbivores and omnivores,suchaspigs,deer,goats,possums,wallabies,rabbitsandrodents,whichhaveradicallychangedthestructure and composition of native forest ecosystems. Possums,cats,mustelids,rodents,dogsandhedgehogsalsothreatennativebiodiversitythroughpredation.Someintroducedreptiles,birds,andinvertebrates(e.g.rainbowskink,commonmyna,ArgentineantandGermanandcommonwasps),arealsoknowntohaveadverseimpactson native terrestrial ecosystems.

Pest plant speciescanalsoalterthestructure,functionand biodiversity of native ecosystems and have been implicated in the decline of a number of threatened plants. Forexample,shadetolerantspecies,suchastradescantiaandwildgingercantransformtheforestgroundcover,suppressing and altering native seedling regeneration. Onmainlanddunes,marramandkikuyugrasshavecontributedtothelocalextinctionofshorespurgein the Auckland region.

What these results mean now

The main threats to terrestrial biodiversity in the Auckland regionarealterationstohabitatsandpests.Overharvestingof native areas and pollution are also problems in certain places. Auckland is now a hot spot for threatened ecosystems,givenitishometosuchawidevarietyofthreatened plant and animal species. This means good management,includingcommunityinvolvement,isneededto help these species and ecosystems stay healthy. Fortunately there are still large areas supporting these species,includingtheManukauandKaiparaharbours,WaitakereandHunuarangesandprotectedoffshoreislands.

Future trends for life on land

Theimpactofongoinghabitatloss,fragmentationandinvasive species will mean losses of native habitats and specieswillcontinue.Effortsbyindividuals,communitiesandtheDepartmentofConservationwillhelp,aswilltheuse of regional parks as conservation and recovery areas. Goodmanagementisthekeytoreducingfuturelosses.

What the ARC is doing to improve Auckland’s terrestrial biodiversity

Between the regional parks and legal protection of land by landowners,communitygroupsandlocalcouncils,overhalfoflandinnativecoverintheregionisprotected.TheARCmonitors and helps tend these protected areas as well as offering advice and support.

Auckland’sregionalparksofferprotectiontonativebiodiversityandthreatenedspecies,andtheARCcontinuestoexpandtheregion’sparknetwork.Communitygroupsand land owners do a lot of work to protect and restore nativebiodiversity–between1998and2008,theareaunder pest and weed management by private landowners andcommunitygroupsincreasedfrom100hato58,000ha(seeFigure20).Theworkthesevolunteersdoisvaluabletotheregion,andtheARCoffersthemadviceandfundingthroughtheEnvironmentalInitiativesFundandtheBiosecurityCommunityPestControlProgramme.

TheARCalsoundertakesintensivecontroland eradication of pest plants and animals on the regional parks and usespowersundertheBiosecurityAct(1993) tocontrolpestsandweeds.Between2004and2007,42,803hectaresofhighconservationvaluelandreceivedpossumcontrol.Since1999,severaloffshoreislandshavebeendeclaredfreeofpestmammals(seeFigure21).Thiswork continues – pest mammals are being removed from the530hectaresKaikouraIsland(adjacenttoGreatBarrierIsland)andRangitotoandMotutapuIslands(3800ha).Pest-freesitesarehavensforthreatenednativeplantsandanimals.Overthelastdecademanyadditionalspecieshavebeentranslocated(reintroducedtoareas)tohelpensuretheirsurvival(seeFigure22).

TheARCusesthefollowingtohelpprotectterrestrialbiodiversity:AucklandRegionalPolicyStatement;RegionalParksManagementPlan;AucklandRegionalPestManagementStrategy;WaitakereRangesHeritageArea;HaurakiGulfForum.

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numbers of species translocated in the Auckland region (Source:ARC)

Total area and number of islands free of mammalian pests in the Auckland region. (Source:ARC)

Rats, pigs, deer, goats, possums, wallabies, rabbits,

rodents, cats, mustelids (e.g. stoats), dogs, hedgehogs,

wasps, Argentine ants and rainbow skinks.

pestsAuckland’s least wanted!

Auckland’s least wanted!

Kauri dieback Mothplant Climbing asparagus

pest plants

What can you do:Likealllivingcreatures,nativeplantsandanimalsdependonfood,shelterandasafeplacetoreproduce.Bylookingafternaturalareas,andplantingnewones,nativespeciesthat live in the region are given a better chance of survival.

• Severalgroupshelpcarefornativeareas,doinghands-on work such as streamside and wetland plantings in ruralareas,regionalparks,andevensomeurbanareas.SeeARCwebsiteforalistorcontactForestandBird,DoCorotheragenciesinvolvedincaringfornativeareas.

• Keepingweedsandpestsoutofnativeareashelpsthemsurvive.ListsofinvasiveweedsandanimalsandadviceontheircontrolareavailableonARC’swebsite.

• Theonlymammalsthatshouldroamfreelyinnativeareasarenativebats.Possums,pigs,deer,goats,cats,stoats,rats,hedgehogs,rabbitsanduncontrolledpetsand livestock are bad news for native plants and animals.

• EnjoyAuckland’sbeautifulregionalparksandshowchildren the valuable native plants and animals surviving there so they can appreciate how precious they are.

Terrestrial biodiversity

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natural hazards natural hazards

The region is exposed to a range of geological, climatic and coastal hazards, some severe. At any time Aucklanders could experience a natural hazard that could cause injury or property damage, as well as job losses or economic disruption. By being prepared personally and at a community level we can mitigate the impacts of a natural hazard.

TheARCworkswithotherorganisationstomonitornaturalhazardsintheregion.GeologicalhazardsaremonitoredthroughtheAucklandVolcanicSeismicNetwork(AVSN)administeredbyGNSScience.TheARCmonitorsclimaticandcoastalhazardsalongwiththeNIWA.Monitoringinformation is supplemented by universities and consultantsundertakingnaturalhazardsresearch,oftenincollaborationwithARCandothercouncils.

Geological hazards

Earthquakes,volcaniceruptionsandlandslides(whentriggeredbyearthquakes)arealltheAucklandregion’sgeologicalhazardsTheyarerare,butwhentheydooccur,theycanthreatenlife,buildingsandinfrastructure,andcausemajorregional and national economic disruption.

Earthquake:27earthquakesaboveRichterScale(M)2weredetectedintheAucklandregionbetween2004and2008.That’ssmallincomparisontootherregionssuchasWellingtonthatareclosertotheIndo-AustralianandPacificplatesubductionzone.However,on21February2007a M4.5earthquakecentredoffOrewacausedapproximately$1.5 million of property damage. This was a reminder of the region’svulnerabilitytostrongerearthquakeswhichcouldbe centered along one of three major fault lines south of the urban area.

Volcanic eruption:MostoftheAucklandurbanareaislocatedontheAucklandVolcanicField(AVF)where49volcanoeshaveeruptedinthelast200,000years.ThelargestandmostrecenteruptionformedRangitotoIslandabout 600 years ago.

AVFeruptionsareunpredictable,witheachneweventlikelytooccuratanewlocation.ARangitotoIsland-sizederuptionlocated in the urban area would cause a mass evacuation and considerable economic and social disruption.

FallingashfromeruptionsintheTaupoVolcanicZoneandMtTaranakicouldimpactpeople’shealthanddegradetheregion’sbuiltenvironment.Modelssuggestevenasmallash fall dispersed across the region could cause about $140millionofnon-structuraldamagetoresidentialbuildings alone.

Climatic hazards

Cyclones,floods,droughts,tornadosandlandslides(triggeredbyrainfall)areclimatichazardsthattheAucklandregionisexposedto.Theyoccurfrequentlyandcanbe severely damaging and disruptive to the people and communities affected.

Cyclone:Nocyclonesreachedtheregionbetween2004and2008.CyclonesaremorelikelytooccurduringLaNiñaclimateconditionswhennorth-easterlystormsaremorecommonandcreateanumberofhazards(wind,flooding,landslides,coastalerosionandcoastalflooding)acrossalarge area.

Flood:Stormeventsin2007and2008causedlocalisedsurfacefloodingacrosstheAucklandregion.Nodeaths were recorded though flood insurance claims for minor damage totalled about $2 million.

Drought: Thisisthemostunderratednaturalhazardexperiencedintheregionduetoitsslowandunspectacularonset.RecentdroughtsimpactedtheruralareasofWaitangiandWaimaukuinearly2003lasting135daysand123daysrespectively.Theimpactsofdroughtsaregreatest on communities reliant on water for agriculture and horticulture.

Tornado:Seventornadoeshavemadelandfallsince2004causinglocaliseddamagetoapproximately40homes.

Landslide: TheAucklandregionexperiencedhundredsoflandslidesduringthewinterof2008whichcostAucklandresidentsmillionsofdollarsindamagetoproperty,remedialworks,cleanupandlosteconomicproductivity.The greatest costs were sustained in urban areas where anumberofdeep-seatedlandslidesledtotheevacuationof50peoplefrom21housesontheNorthShoreandinWaitakereCity.Alargedeep-seatedlandslidecutofftheClevedon-KawakawaBayroadisolating1,500ruralresidentsfor4weeksuntilitwasstabilisedatanoverallcostofover$5million(seepicture).Thewinterof2008demonstratedhowanumberoflocalisedhazardscanamounttosignificantregion-wideconsequences.

Coastal hazards

Beachandclifferosion,coastalfloodingandtsunamiarethecoastalhazardsthattheregionisexposedto.Erosionoccursnaturallyalongtheregion’scoastlinesandcanbecomehazardoustocoastaldevelopments.Low-lyingcoastalland

meanwhile,isvulnerabletofloodingandtsunamis,particularlyontheeastcoastwhichfacesnorth-easterlystorm tracks and tsunami source areas in the PacificOcean.

Beach erosion:Theregion’sbeacheshavebeenrelativelystablesince2004,despiteshort-termfluctuations in sand volume and beach width.

Cliff erosion: Thishazardwashighlypublicisedin 2003and2008wheneastcoastcoastallandslides caused property evacuation and millions of dollars worthofpropertylossanddamage.Eastcoastcliffsexperienceregularlandslidesthatwillcausefuture lossand/ordamagetoclifftopproperties.

Coastal flooding:Recentfloodingincidentshavebeenminorthoughmodelssuggestlow-lyingcoastlinesinRodneydistrictandNorthShoreCitycouldexperiencebetween3and6metresoffloodingabovemeansealevelduringwhatisknownasa‘1in100yearevent’.

Tsunami: FollowinglargeearthquakesoffIndonesiain2004andSolomonIslandsin2007,smalltsunamiwavesoflessthat0.35metresweredetectedintheregion.Theregion’sgeological record suggests the east coast has been hit by tsunamiswithwaverun-upsofover5metresabovemeansealevelinthelast2,600years.EastcoastcommunitiesaremostatriskasdenseurbandevelopmentisexposedtoPacificOceantsunamisourceareas.

Implications

Naturalhazardsintheregioncanhavemajorimplications forhumanlifeandcommunities.ForthisreasontheARChas a legislative responsibility to lead the coordination of naturalhazardmanagementacrosstheregion.Thegoal istoavoidormitigatetheeffectsofnaturalhazards.

Preparing ourselves

Manyofusareunawareofourvulnerabilitytonaturalhazards.Wearenotwellpreparedforasignificantevent.A2008surveyshowedthatAucklandersarelesspreparedthanthoseinotherregionsinNewZealand,with59percent saying they are not well prepared or not at all prepared. Ensuringpeoplearepreparedfornaturalhazardsisacrucialstep towards reducing potential social and economic impacts.

CheckouttheCivilDefencewebsitewww.getthru.govt.nz to find out what you need to do be prepared.

The amount of advance preparation and disaster planning done by Auckland businesses is not currently known. Businesses should ensure they can withstand direct andindirectimpactsfromnaturalhazardsbypreparingalternative methods to maintain commercial activities during and after an event. Insurance also plays an important role in beingpreparedfornaturalhazards.

ThestabilisationofTureiHillinKawakawaBayin2008costover$5million.

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