Conference 2003
Greening the City:
Bringing Biodiversity Back
into the Urban Environment
Abstract:
Waitakere's
Green Network, a 10 Year Anniversary - the Challenges and Successes
of Implementing a Biodiversity Programme Begun in 1993
Chris Ferkins (Waitakere City Council)
In
1993 Waitakere City Council joined a group of some 2000 cities world-wide
that had taken the path to becoming sustainable cities - a direction
that takes into account the impacts our decisions today have on
future generations and on the environment the city inhabits; a direction
that was recommended to communities world-wide by a world conference
held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The conference was called The Earth
Summit and the recommendations were contained in a signed agreement
called Agenda 21. Thus Waitakere declared its aim to become the
first city in New Zealand to take on board these recommendations.
The ecocity was born
and a concept called the Green Network was developed.
Now it is 2003, and Waitakere
is celebrating a decade of work on furthering the Green Network
and the ecocity. It will be my privilege to explain some key elements
of the progress made.
Interestingly, the Green
Network is not just a biodiversity strategy, but a 'healthy habitat
for a city' strategy. The key element besides biodiversity is ecosystem
services. Both these overlapping but complimentary elements have
capacity to impact on the healthy functioning of biological and
physical processes, and their enhancement can benefit all (human
and non-human) inhabitants of the city with improved environmental
quality.
Ideas! The ecocity gave
direction but where do we start? And how can the Green Network (including
biodiversity and ecosystem services objectives) be managed to serve
economic, cultural and social outcomes as well as environmental
ones?
This presentation will
focus on a few key examples:
- People can't be ignored.
We all know what it is like when we are asking people to see or
do things differently, but try making a significant difference
without addressing that - or without engaging
the massive potential of a supportive community. Many people support
environmental objectives, but acknowledge and incorporate the
economic, cultural and social objectives of community members
and you have a formula for broad engagement. I will look at non-regulatory
programmes of support for community involvement including private
landowners;
- Regulation: one key
inclusion in the District Plan was the creation of a riparian
zone that set a specific set of rules for the land beside streams
- and in so doing gives a very definite message about the values
of that land;
- Asset management -
Waitakere has 1500km of roadsides within Road Reserves including
that in the Waitakere Ranges. Management changes have seen massive
improvement in the asset, its ecological health and of the surrounding
natural areas, and expected future impacts on the cost of road
maintenance;
- Stormwater and ecological
restoration in the heart of the City - Project Twin Streams looks
to improve water quality, improve ecological function and health,
and create wildlife corridors through the heart of urban Waitakere.
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