Freshwater ecosystems underpin economic, social, and cultural wellbeing in New Zealand. In recognition of this, the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2014 (NPS-FM 2014) makes Ecosystem Health a compulsory value that Councils must manage. A healthy ecosystem is described as one where ecological processes are maintained, there is a range and diversity of indigenous flora and fauna, and there is resilience to change.
Both local and national government face a number of barriers to effective management of ecosystem health, including how to evaluate the extent that this critical value is being provided for. These stem from gaps in our knowledge of ecosystem health outcomes (for example the current state of fish species), and the lack of a consistent and robust approach to assessing ecosystem health. This project aims to inform the management of ecosystem health in New Zealand. It includes a review of approaches within New Zealand and overseas, the role of outcome indicators compared to diagnostic metrics, and the types of barriers that exist for their implementation and management outcomes. If successful, the project will develop a tool, such as a multi metric indicator, which government (and their communities) could use to measure and describe ecosystem health, and help identify the actions necessary to improve it.