Restoration of Urban Biodiversity a big picture look at some key issues

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Restoration of Urban Biodiversitya big picture
look at some key issues

• Colin D Meurk
• meurkc_at_landcareresearch.co.nz
• 18th 20th May, 2004

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What is Biodiversity?

• Summation of global ecosystem, species, and gene
  information (sum of all the regional diversity)
• Distinct from local species richness - total
  number of species in an area
• Misconception that piling more (exotic) spp into
  an area increases biodiversity
• NZ has huge numbers of introduced spp net
  increase of 58 vertebrates, but net decline of
  indigenous spp (-53). Global biodiversity is
  thus reduced by 53 - not increased by 58!
• NZ has c. 30 000 exotic plant spp, so spp
  richness is now c. 32 500, but global
  biodiversity has declined through massive
  reduction in gene pools functional ecosystems
  not increased by 30 000!

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Extinction is forever! of endemic group that
isextinct, threatened or endangered

• 100 NZ frogs
• 100 tuatara
• 100 moa and overall
• 100 kiwi
• 100 aptornis 29 NZ breeding seabirds
• 100 kakapo
• 66 kea kaka 56 NZ breeding non-marine birds
• 66 NZ wrens
• 33 whiteheads Protection of all of these is our
  duty!
• 100 piopio
• 100 wattlebirds
• 100 short-tailed bats Ref Kerry-Jane Wilson
  2004

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Why Urban?

• Most people live in urban environments (creates
  both risks resources)
• Cities are at environmental cross-roads
• Thus have diverse ecosystems spp
• These lowland biota are at risk under-protected
• Few citizens see our nature - in remote
  mountains, rainforests offshore islands
• Some positive indicators in cities/towns
• Conservation of nature depends on both ecological
  socio-cultural factors
• it wont happen if there is not the will
• There must be a critical ecological, visual
  ideological mass of nature so that it is
  sustainable thru being equated with societys
  sense of its place.

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Visibilityof nature
Sustainable Management Useof natural
resources Identificationwith regional
biodiversity landscape Protectivenesstowards
natural values
Landscape Ecological Sustainability Integrity
Feedback System
Familiaritywith nature
Learningfrom natural processes Enculturationof
natural values Quality of Lifedefinition
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We have the need for a major Urban Biodiversity
Restoration effort

• Biodiversity crisis
• Cultural imperatives (both Maori Kiwi)
• Critical location
• Do we have the ecological technology?

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What can we do?

• Protect the primary habitats
• More urban biodiversity habitats than we think
• More expensive to restore than we think
• Nurse the remnants back to health at various
  levels scales
• A single bush is a habitat!
• Mainland islands the Rolls Royce version
• Halt deliberate natural spread of weeds
  pests!
• Restoration Regeneration
• Remember the diversity is in the small spp (lt20
  of native flora are large trees, shrubs
  tussocks) and the myriad interactions
• Raise proportion of native plants in dominant
  locations
• Nurture the home gardener - Gardens, footpath
  cracks, walls lawns
• Integrate sanctuaries, corridors, stepping stones
  the matrix and people!

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How/Where do we do it?

• Get the management of remnants the investment
  in planting right!
• Forest planting (defines the city food value)
• Shrubland systems (a special NZ feature)
• Wetland restoration (tall stuff is easy)
• Coastal dune estuarine restoration
• Grasslands (battling weed successions)
• Riparian instream habitats (battling
  perceptions)
• New surrogate habitats (urban mimics of nature)
• Facilitate spatial dynamics (the landscape level)
• Celebrate redirect the home gardeners energy
  innovation (cf bird breeders)

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Forests Shrublandsinnovative ways of making
urban forests pay

• G Hall LINKNZ 15.4.03 Douglas fir - harvest 20
  at yr 20, natives introduced at yr 20, then 20
  stems gt 30 cm harvested, leaving 12 stems/ha

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Reports of bellbirds by the public in
Christchurch between 2001-2004
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Wetlands Riparian Habitats
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Key Message Plant at stream edges, tall dense
(during low water/summer time) but provide
windows for access views
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Coastal Estuaries
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Good dune, bad dune
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Grasslands are tricky in a forest climate!
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Combat exotic grasses with differential grazing
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Handweeding close inspection or moaing
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Give in to the wood climate
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Stressing with coarse soil or managed drought
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Urban Surrogates of Threatened Nature
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Lawns are surrogate interdune turfs
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Creative Native Gardens
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Towards landscape integrity legibilitysocial
cohesion a maturing culture
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Power of plants their signals
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Entrances, Portals Avenues
are crucial
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It took over a millennium in Europe to fit in
with the land- be patient!
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We need to grow From this

• To this

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Comfortable, mature secure in our history,
work, art play
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Take home messages

• Biodiversity a global concept a crisis in NZ
• Urban is the focus identity, cultural
  imperative
• Need critical mass of nature visually,
  culturally, ideologically
• Protect primary habitats the benchmarks
• Halt deliberate natural spread of pests
• Restore regenerate (80 plants-small stuff)
• Urban woodland defines the city food value
• Need visual dominance of native spp.
• Optimum spatial configuration of forest patches
• Its for the birds

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For messages

• Safety need some ecologists to help with the
  solutions
• Plant stream edges dense windows
• Estuaries buffers, excavation regen.
• Dunes losing their natural character
• Grasses fun but tricky in forest climates -
• grazing, weeding, stressing, go to shrubs
• Role of home gardener creative natives
• Urban surrogates of threatened habitats/spp
• Maturing the culture the landscape - legibility

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References

• Coastal Dune Vegetation Network (CDVN website
  www.forestresearch.com/research/cooperatives )
• www.bush.org.nz/planterguide (includes plant
  selection propagation tools, soil key,
  streamside planting guides)
• Establishing shelter in Canterbury with Nature
  Conservation in mind (ECan Isaac Centre for
  Nature Conservation)
• Protecting Restoring our natural heritage a
  practical guide (Davis Meurk for DoC 2001)
• QEII handbook (in press)
• The Native Garden (Gabites Lucas 1998)
• Tanes Tree Trust