Updated guidelines for determining areas of significant indigenous vegetation and habitats of indigenous fauna in the Waikato region

Report: TR 2023/03

Authors: Wildland Consultants Ltd

This report provides guidelines for ecologists, planning agencies, and community groups to interpret the revised significance criteria present in the 2016 Waikato Regional Policy Statement.

This report also aligns the interpretation of the significance criteria with the exposure draft of the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (Ministry for the Environment, 2022) where possible.

Guidance is also provided on assessing the relative significance of sites (International, National, Regional, or Local) to prioritise management once an area has been identified as being significant. Useful definitions and references are provided.