A Maori perspective on biodiversity restoration

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A Maori perspective on biodiversity
restorationResearch in Ecological Restoration
Workshop, Hamilton, May, 2004
Garth Harmsworth (Te Arawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa,
Ngati Raukawa) Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd
-Manaaki Whenua, Private Bag 11052, Palmerston
North HarmsworthG_at_LandcareResearch.co.nz
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A Maori perspective on biodiversity restoration

• Background RIBHL programme
• Key Maori concepts, beliefs, values, principles
• Working together to achieve common goals success
  stories, Maori projects
• Maori involvement in projects a national
  overview
• The role of research
• Monitoring and evaluation how do we measure
  achievements, perspectives, and success?
• Conclusions

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Restoring Indigenous Biodiversity inHuman
Landscapes

• 2001 FRST funded, PL. Bruce Burns
• Maori and Biodiversity
• National overview - networks, participatory
  research with a large number of Maori groups and
  agencies, such as iwi, hapu, marae, local and
  central government, community groups, Maori
  organisations
• Understanding complex biodiversity issues,
  community, central and local government, along
  with Maori aspirations, goals, strategies
• Collaborative learning, traditional knowledge
  (matauranga), creating new knowledge,
  collaborative research
• Making the research more responsive to community
  and Maori needs
• Achieving actions and outcomes that achieve
  biodiversity goals

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A Maori perspective on biodiversity restoration
The Maori basis to ecological restoration is

• Maori values/principles/concepts (e.g. tikanga,
  whakapapa, mana whenua, rangatiratanga,
  kaitiakitanga, mauri, tapu, rahui, noa) very
  important
• To achieve Maori aspirations/goals (e.g.
  naturalness, taonga, customary use, retain
  traditional knowledge, development)
• Equal participation, partnerships, recognition of
  tangata whenua status within an area
• Recognition of Maori knowledge as equal, and not
  inferior, to other forms of knowledge
• Notion of human wellbeing, health (oranga,
  wairua, tinana, whaiora) linked to environmental
  health very important
• Inter-dependence, connection with the
  environment, striving for balance, integrated
  approaches (e.g. catchment, Atua domains),
  holistic

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A Maori perspective on biodiversity restoration
The Maori basis to ecological restoration is

• Across a large range of landscapes, ecosystems,
  land management areas, landuse (terrestrial,
  marine, freshwater)
• Emphasis on enhancing (modified landscapes),
  rather than restoring an area back to some
  original pristine state
• Emphasis on returning specific taonga (e.g.
  vegetation/bird/fish species) to an area by
  reconstructing/ restoring certain habitats to
  some defined/agreed state, condition, quality,
  spatial extent
• Maori concepts mean trying to avoid
  contamination, pollution, mixing restoring the
  mauri very important
• Whakapapa important to locally source species,
  e.g. native plants, fishstock etc.
• Strategies/values to identify/reduce/eliminate
  introduced pests, weeds etc. linked to returning,
  enhancing taonga

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Biodiversity and ecological restoration A Maori
explanation?

• Returns an area back to a state or condition that
  progresses towards Maori aspirations and goals
• Attempts to strengthen or re-establish the
  relationship or connection with local Maori
  tangata whenua, reinforces cultural identity and
  upholds mana
• Attempts to restore the mauri of a site or an
  area
• Returns taonga to an area previously devoid of,
  or with diminished quality of taonga
• Returns, enhances an area to a state or condition
  consistent with a cultural vision, moves or
  progresses an area to some cultural standard
  based on tikanga
• Returns, enhances an area to a state or condition
  in line with cultural, social, environmental and
  economic goals

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Working together to achieve common goals
success stories, Maori projects

• Maori aspirations, goals, strategies for
  biodiversity are not dissimilar to others we
  often have common goals
• need to look at areas from a Maori perspective as
  well as an ecological, scientific, community
  perspective
• Maori, through whakapapa, are inter-twined with
  indigenous biodiversity and strive to sustain and
  enhance it

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Maori involvement in projects a national
overview

• NZ Large number of biodiversity projects
  involving Maori (40 key ones), and fewer Maori
  led (gt10)
• Key players are kaitiaki Maori groups,
  iwi/hapu/whanau/marae, Maori organisations
• Many joint projects with local councils, DOC, and
  some helped by Landcare Trust
• Nga Whenua Rahui (DOC) pivotal role in many
  projects
• Some central govt funding (e.g. Nga Whenua Rahui,
  SMF MfE)
• DOC working with iwi/hapu/whanau/marae on saving
  and protecting indigenous species (e.g. kiwi,
  kereru, tuatara, native fish, etc.)
• Some collaborative research initiated with CRIs
  (Manaaki Whenua, NIWA) and Universities (ecology,
  zoology such as Henrik Moller Otago, and Mere
  Roberts Awanuiarangi, biology/kaitiakitanga)

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Nga Whenua Rahui

• 1991 New Zealand wide, contestable ministerial
  fund set up to assist Maori land owners to
  protect indigenous ecosystems on their land while
  retaining tino rangatiratanga (ownership and
  control)
• Runs parallel to Queen Elizabeth II Trust
• 2001 Broadened goals from native forest to all
  significant indigenous ecosystems (e.g. wetlands)
• To date some 95 projects, 112,000 ha protected
• 2001 Matauranga Kura Taiao fund to support
  whanau/iwi/hapu retain/promote retention and use
  of matauranga Maori and its use in biodiversity
  management
• Wildland consultants (BOP) working with a number
  of Maori groups (e.g. wetlands)

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Maori projects- small glimpse at whats going on

• Motatau native forest, pest control (Ngati
  Hine)
• Oruarangi stream catchment (Tainui, Makaurau
  marae)
• Kawerau wetland, river (Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau)
• Wetlands (about 5 main projects e.g Whakaki)
• Native forest blocks on Maori land (extensive,
  Nga Whenua Rahui)
• Riparian planting around lakes (e.g. Onuku Maori
  Lands Trust, Rotomahana)
• Omaio pest control (Mangaroa/Ohotu Trustees)
• Maungatautari (Ngati Koroki, Ngati Haua, Ngati
  Wairere, Ngati Raukawa)
• Lake Horowhenua (Muaupoko)
• Wetlands, sand country, Manukau, Kuku stream and
  Horowhenua coast (Ngati Tukorehe, Ngati Raukawa)
• Wetlands, biodiversity and cultural restoration
  (Te Tau Ihu iwi)
• Wetland restoration, mahinga kai (Ngai Tahu)

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The role of research

• Maori very interested in accessing research
  info., science knowledge, undertaking research
  themselves (very much hinges on capacity and
  resources on both sides)
• A large number of Maori groups would like to form
  joint research projects, collaborative research,
  Maori led research
• Few collaborative research projects in New
  Zealand with Maori groups
• Ecological restoration important to many groups
• Research can include matauranga and mainstream
  science many opportunities to expand the
  knowledge base on indigenous biodiversity

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Research examples

• Maori community goals for enhancing ecosystem
  health (FRST 19982003) Manaaki Whenua joint
  project with Te Whare Wananga o Ngati Porou.
  Ngati Porou researchers based in Ruatorea
  Programme leader Vianney Douglas/ 1998 Pia
  Pohatu/1999 Tui Warmenhoven (Ngati Porou). Focus
  on matauranga and biophysical science.
• RIBHL FRST programme (networks, many links
  established, some projects being developed)
• University projects
• Private consultants
• Other CRIs (e.g. NIWA)
• DOC

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Maori and their environment

• How do Maori see their environment changing in
  time? is it different to non-Maori?
• How do Maori assess the state of health of the
  environment?
• What indicators do they use?
• There is a strong link between environmental
  change and Maori wellbeing that needs to be taken
  into account in environmental monitoring
• How can Maori knowledge be used to underpin
  environmental monitoring?
• How can monitoring by Maori complement other
  approaches?

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Monitoring and evaluation how do we measure
achievements, perspectives, and success

• Maori environmental indicators (about 5 main
  projects to date)
• Coordinated Monitoring of NZ wetlands(19981999,
  20002002) Maori wetland indicators (Garth
  Harmsworth)
• Cultural health index (Gail Tipa Ngai Tahu, and
  Laurel Teirney)
• Case studies with hapu (e.g ecological systems,
  kaimoana)
• Maori organisations evaluating pest control (e.g.
  native forest blocks)
• Maori SOE report Ngati Maniapoto
• Many iwi and hapu have indicators or are
  developing indicators about their environment
  much work informal, non-funded, not often
  research based

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Definition of a Maori Environmental Performance
Indicator

• A Maori Environmental performance Indicator
  (MEPI) is a tohu created and configured by Maori
  to gauge, measure or indicate change in an
  environmental locality. A Maori EPI leads a
  Maori community towards and sustains a vision and
  a set of environmental goals defined by that
  community.
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• Source MfE 1998 Maori environmental monitoring.
  Prepared for the Ministry for the Environment by
  a panel of independent Maori.

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Using the Pressure/State/Response Model (OECD,
MfE)

• Maori wetland indicators were then organised into
  three main categories
• 1) pressure indicators
• 2) state indicators
• 3) response indicators.
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• Each category was fully discussed with Maori and
  given more understandable terms for monitoring
  use
• 1) what's causing the problems
• 2) taonga and mauri? and
• 3) trends, getting better or worse?(from a
  cultural perspective).

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10 key Maori indicators were identified from
criteria matrix

• Selected Maori wetland indicators
• 1. area of land uses/riparian factors
  affecting cultural values
• 2. No. of point source pollution sites degrading
  te mauri
• 3. Degree of modification (draining, water
  table, in-flows, out-flows) degrading te mauri
• 4. No. (and change) of exotic (introduced,
  foreign) plants, algae, animals, fish, birds
  (pest types) affecting cultural values ()
• 5. No. (and change) of taonga species within
  wetland
• 6. area (and change in area) of taonga plant
  species within total wetland
• 7. area (and change in area) of exotic
  (introduced, foreign) plants covering total
  wetland
• 8. Assessment of te mauri (scale) and change in
  te mauri
• 9. No. of cultural sites protected within or
  adjacent to wetland
• 10. Change in taonga species represented ,
  same, or - (2nd and subsequent assessments)
•   Note Those shown in bold are the most critical
  for assessing environmental change from a Maori
  perspective.

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In future environmental monitoring programmes
could be classed into three main types that are
complementary
Community-scientific based  
Maori knowledge based
Scientific based
Community based indicators - requiring low levels
of technical input and skill but scientifically
robust and part-value based. Cost effective,
relatively simple and short duration. Examples
Scientific indicators - requiring higher levels
of technical input and skill, robust sampling
strategies, analysis and interpretation. May be
time consuming. Examples
Maori indicators - In depth Maori understanding
and knowledge of particular environments.
Understanding of Maori values, goals, and
aspirations required. Examples

• Chemistry, water quality, nutrients
• Hydrology
• Water table modeling
• Botanical mapping, classification of plants
• pH
• Bacterial counts
• Giardia
• Cryptosporidium
• GIS applications
• Satellite imagery
• Studies of fish, macro-invertebrates, macrophytes.

• Hydrology
• Soils/Nutrients
• Intactness of wetland
• Connectivity/Buffering or Fragmentation
• Introduced plants
• Animal damage
• Modifications to catchment hydrology
• Water quality within catchment
• Other land-use threats
• Key undesirable species
• catchment in introduced vegetation
• Animal access.

• Taonga lists
• Key sensitive taonga indicators
• Te Mauri
• Knowledge on uses and preparation of taonga
• Land-uses, point discharges, modification,
  impacting on cultural values and uses.

         

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Monitoring and evaluation how do we measure
achievements, perspectives, and success

• Another way to measure success is to define
  collective goals and measure progress towards
  defined goals
• Measure successful outcomes for Maori and
  non-Maori
• Identify successful models of ecological
  restoration
• Progress towards achieving biodiversity
  strategies
• Progress towards Maori aspirations
• Progress towards building capacity for Maori and
  Maori development
• Focus on successful outcomes
• Focus on achievements (e.g. joint projects, joint
  research, success stories)
• Publicise success stories to New Zealand public
  (alot of negative press in NZ)

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Conclusions we need

• Take into account Maori and community
  perspectives of biodiversity across a large range
  of landscapes (Crown land, Maori land, private
  land)
• Comprehensive strategies, resources, actions, to
  achieve biodiversity goals and objectives
• Need to recognise, understand and value different
  knowledge forms that can underpin biodiversity
  management (matauranga Maori, local, scientific)
• To work together, across groups, inter-agency,
  government, iwi/hapu/whanau to achieve agreed
  biodiversity goals and outcomes (national,
  regional, and local)
• more collaborative work programmes and
  underpinning research

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Conclusions we need (continued)

• To focus on islands of success and
  achievement as models for the future
• Increasingly the world will measure our
  performance on actions, examples and the ability
  for research to support these actions and
  examples
• Every part of the community to be involved in
  biodiversity/biosecurity and all contributions,
  even individual, should be valued
• NZ branding We must provide examples of clean
  and green, pure, sustainable,
  representativeness ecosystems (i.e. not
  species extinction, habitat destruction,
  pollution) and this must be supported by NZ
  population not just a few