4.0 Discussion
Ecoregion conservation is a process that requires stakeholder collaboration and action at ambitious spatial and thematic scales. The compilation of data provided by marine scientists during this workshop is an important step in the effort to conserve New Zealand’s marine biodiversity. Experts identified areas of deepwater emergence in Fiordland and the Marlborough Sounds where species are found at unusually shallow depths due to the unique physical characteristics of these environments. They noted the high productivity of the hydrographically complex Chatham Rise, the remarkable invertebrate diversity of Spirits Bay, and the expanding coverage of mangrove forests in northern New Zealand. Seabird experts highlighted the importance of the subantarctic and Chatham Islands as global hotspots for bird diversity, and the importance of migration corridors around New Zealand. Marine mammal experts marked the canyon and trench systems running from Kaikoura Canyon northwards as attractive foraging areas for deep-diving cetacean species, such as sperm whales. Overall, the work of the marine scientists has helped to shine a spotlight on the most important areas and features of New Zealand’s marine environment and contributed to the greater body of knowledge about the ecoregion’s marine biodiversity.
The focus of the workshop on defining the key biological elements provides a platform for long-range dialogue, planning, and action among a range of stakeholders. The gaps that workshop participants identified in the marine biodiversity knowledge base, however, are a reminder that the workshop results are biased toward representation of the places that have been sampled and by the sampling methods that have been used. For example, the workshop results shine a brighter spotlight on areas shallower than 1,500m, since there are fewer observations of the deep. The continuous process of marine discovery will involve observation at larger spatial scales and depths and the use of different sampling techniques. As new information on marine biodiversity distribution comes to light, other places may be recognised as key areas for biodiversity within the ecoregion.
Knowing the biogeographic distribution of marine biodiversity, however complete, is only one dimension of understanding the marine environment. Equally important is understanding how biodiversity functions, and how dynamic temporal processes, both geological and hydrologic, created the patterns that are observed today. One workshop participant pointed out that 20,000 years ago, many of New Zealand’s marine habitats did not exist. Historical baselines for the marine environment are unknown, but would be immensely valuable for setting conservation and management targets. Such baselines are also critical for anticipating how changes in environmental conditions (e.g. those associated with climate change) will shape the distribution of marine organisms in the future.
The next steps for the New Zealand Marine Ecoregion Initiative will involve determination of how the sites and features deemed important for marine biodiversity intersect with human uses of the marine environment. Spatial representation and characterisation of human activities that impact on the oceans would likely help to identify the pressures on marine biodiversity. This process would involve not only scientists, but stakeholders with expertise in the human uses of the environment including tourism, fishing, shipping, mining, bioprospecting, and other uses.
WWF-New Zealand is committed to making information on marine biodiversity more accessible to stakeholders and the larger public, and to promoting conservation action in the region. Achievement of conservation success in New Zealand’s marine ecoregion will require collaboration between many partners – communities, Mäori, research institutes, environmental managers, and resource users. As the ecoregion consultation process develops, goals, objectives, and targets for marine biodiversity will be defined in consultation with stakeholders. Such benchmarks are central to ecoregion conservation for measuring the performance of conservation strategies, plans, and partnerships. WWF-New Zealand hopes that this document will be a useful information source for other organisations and individuals and will help to catalyse further interest in and support for conservation in the ecoregion.