By James Bentley and Bron Faulkner, Boffa Miskell Limited
When the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (NZCPS) was released, local authorities were tasked under Policy 13 to map or otherwise identify (at least) areas of high natural character in the coastal environment. The NZCPS also introduced the new term, ‘outstanding natural character’. Territorial authorities had no guidance on how to undertake the necessary natural character assessments.
Recognising this lack of guidance, Boffa Miskell held a two-day in-house workshop in early 2011 to develop a consistent approach to natural character assessment and interpretation of NZCPS terms.
Background
The terms ‘natural character, ‘coastal environment’ and ‘outstanding natural character’ are not defined in the RMA nor in the NZCPS. Over the years, there have been many attempts at defining the term ‘natural character’. The most widely accepted version alludes to a spectrum of natural character from highly modified to pristine, and states:
‘The degree or level of natural character within an area depends on:
1. The extent to which natural elements, patterns and processes occur;
2. The nature and extent of modifications to the ecosystems and landscape/seascape.
The highest degree of natural character (greatest naturalness) occurs where there is least modification.
The effect of different types of modification upon natural character of an area varies with the context, and may be perceived differently by different parts of the community.’
This interpretation is referenced to varying degrees in Policy 13 and, in a recent workshop convened by the Department of Conservation[1] (DOC), it was agreed that it is still relevant.
Typically, landscape architects have had the task of ‘dealing with’ natural character but the matters listed in Policy 13 infer that expert input should be wider; including also, for instance, marine biologists, terrestrial ecologists and recreationalists.
Assessment approach
At our Boffa Miskell workshop, it was evident that ecologists’ and landscape architects’ views of ‘natural’ and ‘naturalness’ are complementary yet sufficiently different to warrant further clarification. Ecologists interpret natural character in terms of indigenous attributes, whereas landscape architects take a broader view that can encompass both indigenous and modified natural attributes. Accordingly, the thresholds differ and a refined definition of ‘naturalness’ was agreed as being:
‘Measure of the degree of human modification of a landscape/ seascape or ecosystem expressed in terms of:
i) Ecological naturalness (indigenous nature) and
ii) Landscape naturalness (perceptions of nature).’
Through our workshop we were able to develop a consistent company-wide assessment approach that incorporates both landscape and ecological expertise. It is based upon agreed interpretation of key terminology, and includes a method for determining the inland extent of the Coastal Environment (refer to diagram) as well as an assessment matrix and evaluation methodology for identifying ‘high’ and ‘outstanding’ natural character. Importantly, the methodology can be adapted to suit different types and scales of coastal landscapes.
Of course, assessing natural character is a not a new task. The methodology we have developed draws on our considerable experience of evaluating coastal landscapes for territorial authorities, developers and others.
Putting it into practice
In early 2011, several local authorities engaged Boffa Miskell to undertake natural character assessments of their coastal environments. We have now completed coastal natural character assessments for Marlborough and Horowhenua District Councils, and we anticipate further evolving our methodology as we undertake additional regional coastal natural character assessments including one for the Bay of Plenty.
The Department of Conservation is currently working on a guidance document for natural character assessment, assisted by landscape architects from Boffa Miskell, as well as landscape architects, planners and ecologists from other organisations.
To us, the key to natural character assessment is a consistent but not formulaic approach, which can be adapted within a framework of guiding principles. These should be full assessments, rather than honing in on preconceived ‘best bits’, in order to justify the identification of high and outstanding natural character areas.
Finally, we recommend that natural character ideally be assessed at a regional, or if not, at a district level to both ensure that adjacent coastal areas are consistently evaluated and to provide a context for more site-specific assessments.
(Click on graphic).
Caption: Defining the extent and context of the coastal environment is an important aspect of natural character assessment.
[1] Two workshops (one in early August 2011 and one in late September 2011) were initiated by DOC where a selection of environmental practitioners was invited to discuss the terms and application of natural character following the release of the NZCPS.