Key UC Contact
What We Did
Elizabeth Macpherson is co-leading a project in the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge looking at legal and policy reform for ecosystem-based management of marine and coastal areas in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Aotearoa New Zealand has a vast marine estate that is increasingly under pressure, and the current legal framework for marine management is complex and fragmented. There are hundreds of laws and policies applying to the marine environment, and many different central and regional government agencies are responsible for administering the law and managing marine and coastal areas. The aim of Ecosystem-Based Management is to provide an holistic and inclusive way to manage marine environments and the competing uses for, demands on, and ways that New Zealanders value them.
To improve our management and use of marine resources, we need to integrate law, policy, regulation, and practice across all levels of government and communities (including iwi and hapū). This project will identify and analyse a range of legal and policy options to support successful implementation of EBM in Aotearoa New Zealand marine management.
Who Was Involved
The project is being led by Elizabeth Macpherson (University of Canterbury) & Steve Urlich (Lincoln University) and involves an interdisciplinary team of researchers from across the country.
It is being co-developed with end-users from government, iwi/hapū and industry.
Why It Matters
In 2019, the Ministry for the Environment released the Our Marine Environment and Environment Aotearoa reports about the state of our marine environment. These reports revealed that the way Aotearoa New Zealand currently manages its marine environment will not prevent widespread, ongoing habitat degradation and loss, or the alarming population declines of many native marine species.
Learn More
www.sustainableseaschallenge.co.nz/our-research/policy-and-legislation-for-ebm
