Guidelines for landowners in peat lake catchments: Current best management practices for farming sustainably to protect the peat lakes

These guidelnes aim to provide landowners farming in peat lake catchments with a range of current ‘Best Management Practices’ (BMPs) to reduce environmental impacts on the region’s peat lakes.

The BMPs centre on sustainable land managment and protecting important natural resources. To provide a context for the BMPs, information on peat lake values with an emphasis on the benefits of the lakes to farms are also included.

The BMPs highlight how to:

• manage the flow of nutrients and sediments from farmed land to the lakes and surrounding wetlands
• minimise further peat shrinkage around the lakes.

Rules drawn from the regional and district council plans which relate to the BMPs are also included.