Intensive farming alters Mackenzie Basin
Almost a quarter of the Mackenzie Basin has undergone farming intensification over the past 15 years, which the Department of Conservation says has led to an ‘‘overwhelmingly modified character’’.
The numbers come from the Mackenzie Basin: Opportunities for Alignment report released this week, which proposes a suite of measures to ensure organisations protect the basin.
Jeremy Severinsen, Department of Conservation’s (DOC) principal adviser for the Mackenzie, said the figures were robust.
‘‘In the last 15 years, there has been significant development in farming and tourism in the Mackenzie, but conservation simply hasn’t kept up,’’ he said.
The report defines the Mackenzie Basin as the 269,000 hectares that cover the Omarama, Pukaki and Tekapo ecological districts. The report said land in the southern Basin was intensified through irrigation, vegetation clearance and cultivation of exotic pasture.
‘‘While some of these areas could potentially be restored to their natural state, the area has an overwhelmingly modified character,’’ Severinsen said.
In parts of Omarama, up to 8500ha was classified as ‘‘highly modified’’, while in the Tekapo ecological district, only 8 per cent was similarly classed. The report flags the likelihood of further intensification with up to 88,000ha free-holded as part of the tenure review process.
The Mackenzie District Council’s Plan Change 13 declared the Basin an ‘‘outstanding natural landscape’’, which it said could make it more difficult for consent holders to apply for future land-use changes.
On Wednesday, executives from DOC, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), Environment Canterbury, and the Waitaki and Mackenzie district councils met in Christchurch to discuss the findings.
The report recommended a ‘‘whole of Basin approach’’ between the five agencies, which would include more comprehensive monitoring of the effects of land use, as well a 30-year vision for the Basin.
Severinsen said the interagency proposal was exciting, particularly for ‘‘a number of indigenous species that require protection’’ in the region.
The $70,000 report took seven months and involved interviewing more than 40 people from farming, environment and government interests.
"In the last 15 years, there has been significant development in farming and tourism in the Mackenzie, but conservation simply hasn't kept up." Jeremy Severinson, DOC advisor for Mackenzie