Appendix 2
Information based initiatives underway for New Zealand’s marine environment
National Aquatic Biodiversity Information System (NABIS)
The National Aquatic Biodiversity Information System (NABIS) is a website application using GIS (geographic information system) tools to provide spatial and visual representation of New Zealand’s marine biological and fisheries management data. The system displays geographic distributions of various marine organisms on a species-by-species basis, including an indication of where species are concentrated. NABIS also provides access to maps showing the boundaries of the areas used in the management of New Zealand’s living marine resources and displays some commercial catch effort. Information sources for NABIS include Ministry of Fisheries databases, field collections, published and unpublished reports, museum holdings, and expert discussion. NABIS is administered by the Ministry of Fisheries and can be accessed at www.nabis.govt.nz.
The Marine Environment Classification (MEC) System
The Ministry for the Environment has been leading the development of a marine environments classification system. The MEC system development is based on the principle that ecosystem properties are broadly determined by the interplay between biophysical processes and physical factors in the marine environment. The classification groups the physical factors and maps them as ecologically relevant environmental units, or areas with similar biophysical characteristics that are likely to reflect different ecological communities. Some of the physical factors that have been mapped are depth, slope, tidal current, and mean annual solar radiation. The end result of the classification will be maps that represent areas of similarity or difference for marine ecosystem properties, and as such infer how the effects of resource use could correspond with the characteristics of the areas. The Exclusive Economic Zone has been classified on the 1km scale. Pilot classifications on a finer scale, such as 200m in the Hauraki Gulf, are being developed to test the ecosystem relevance of the classification through biological ground truthing. Ultimately, the MEC system will be applied to measure the effectiveness of marine policies and manage marine issues at the regional council level.
The Interim Nearshore Marine Classification (INMARC)
Development of the interim nearshore environment classification scheme has been led by the Department of Conservation to provide a spatial framework of large marine biogeographic regions and smaller units. The INMARC focuses on relatively shallow water (approximately 50–100m depth) where sampling of the marine environment is most concentrated. It comprises an inventory of physical and biological information relating to New Zealand’s nearshore marine environment. The classification comprises information at two scales, the mesoscale (100–1000km) which describes eight marine biogeographic regions and the micro-scale (10–100km) which describes coastal, shelf, and offshore island units. The marine biogeographic regions and units were determined using relevant information from the literature and the advice of specialists with expertise on the distribution patterns of marine invertebrates, fish, and algae. The INMARC information is represented in a geographic information systems (GIS) format.
The Estuary Environment Classification (EEC)
The Estuary Environment Classification has been developed by scientists at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA) as a new method of classifying estuaries. The classification is based on the “factors” or broad scale environmental circumstances such as climate, oceanic and riverine conditions, and catchment characteristics that cause or “control” differences and similarities in the physical and biological characteristics of estuaries. The EEC is based on a model of the processes that determine estuarine characteristics, which makes it applicable to broad scale environmental management applications. For example, the Exclusive Economic Zone can be used to extrapolate the results of studies between estuaries, to stratify environments according to their susceptibility and vulnerability to the effects of development, and to develop broad-scale management strategies and policy (Hume et al. 2003).