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An evaluation and prioritisation of ecosystem services models for inclusion into the Waikato Integrated Scenario Explorer (WISE)

TR 2013/28
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Report: TR 2013/28

Author: G Hart and Daniel Rutledge (Landcare Research), M Vare and B Huser (Waikato Regional Council) 

Abstract

Landcare Research has been contracted to assist with new work around ecosystem services in the Waikato region following the introduction of ecosystem services into the proposed Waikato Regional Policy Statement (RPS).

The Waikato Integrated Scenario Explorer (WISE) is a regional spatially-explicit policy support system designed to help Waikato Regional Council explore possible future development options, identify trade-offs of different combinations of policies and plans, and evaluate the potential consequences, both positive and negative, from those different combinations.

WISE combines economic, population, climate, hydrology, water quality, biodiversity and land use models.

The proposed RPS includes an Ecosystem Services objective (Objective 3.7), with links to a number of policies. Waikato Regional Council, therefore initiated the potential development of an Ecosystem Services model to include in WISE to explore, assess and quantify the effects of developments and policies on regional ecosystem services.

This is particularly important for the resource-based regional economy (agriculture, forestry, tourism, aquaculture), which relies heavily on natural resources and associated ecosystem services.

The aim of this project was to help initiate the development of an Ecosystem Services prioritisation framework to:

  • identify and prioritise ecosystem services in the Waikato region
  • characterise, classify and map ecosystem types and their associated services throughout the Waikato region
  • initiate development of an ecosystem services modelling base for incorporation into WISE such that Waikato Regional Council can also consider the consequences and trade-offs of future development options and policies on ecosystem services in addition to the range of issues and resources already considered by WISE.

An evaluation and prioritisation of ecosystem services models for inclusion into the Waikato Integrated Scenario Explorer (WISE) [PDF, 1.5 MB]

Contents
  Summary iii
 1 Introduction 1
 2 Background 1
 3 Objectives 2
 4 Methods 2
4.1 Stage 1: Waikato Regional Policy Statement review 2
4.2 Stage 2: Proposed RPS review workshop 2
4.3 Stage 3: Pilot ecosystem services prioritisation exercise and identification of potential ecosystem services models into WISE 3
4.4 Stage 4: Ecosystem services prioritisation workshop 3
4.5 Stage 5: Draft WRC ecosystem services prioritisation and recommendation of ecosystem services models for inclusion in WISE 3
5 Results 4
5.1 Review of Proposed Waikato Regional Policy Statement 4
5.2 Workshop #1: Proposed RPS review and ecosystem services identification 5
5.3 Pilot ecosystem services prioritisation 16
5.4 Workshop #2: WRC review of pilot ecosystem services prioritisation 23
5.5 Draft ecosystem services priorites 26
6 Conclusions 37
7 Recommendations 38
8 Acknowledgements 38
9 References 38