Ecosystem health and biodiversity
Planning provisions that protect biodiversity values are included in Canterbury's regional policy statement and plans.
We report on progress on behalf of CWMS partners, who also protect biodiversity values through on-the-ground actions and funding, working agencies, landowners and community groups.
Here's how things are progressing against 2025 goals. View information on:
- Freshwater species and their habitat
- Wetlands
- Hāpua, lagoons and estuaries
- Lowland streams and lakes
- High country foothill streams and lakes
Freshwater species and their habitat
By 2025: Reduction in threatened or at-risk status of indigenous fish species compared to 2020.
Has the goal been met?
CWMS partners have not identified key Canterbury species to monitor, nor conduct regular fish monitoring to demonstrate progress towards this goal. However, available data shows that native fish habitat and populations identified in the Department of Conservation's 2017 Conservation Status of New Zealand Freshwater Fishes (PDF file, 7.9MB) continue to decline.
Current data, as presented in the Ministry for the Environment’s Our Freshwater 2020 and the StatsNZ 2023 report, shows that 76 per cent of indigenous freshwater fish species (39 out of 51 total species) are threatened with extinction, or at risk of becoming threatened.
- In 2017, Environment Canterbury undertook a targeted five-year study of bignose galaxias (Galaxias macronasus) populations and their critical habitats in spring-fed streams within the Mackenzie Basin (PDF file, 1.92MB), this was followed by additional advice (PDF file, 702KB) in 2022 used to inform Environment Canterbury in supporting improvements to stream management to support native fish populations.
- Plan Change 7 Land and Water Regional Plan introduced mapping of known critical habitats for 11 regionally threatened freshwater species, requiring resource consents and avoidance/mitigation for activities within these areas.
- The Fish Habitat Fund helps protect native freshwater fish at risk from habitat loss and potential barriers. With a funding pool of $100,000 in 2024, it continues to support projects for habitat restoration and fish passage improvements.
- Environment Canterbury supports several projects that seek to improve fish populations by enhancing and protecting fish habitat.
- Water Zone Committees across the region support community groups and projects that seek to improve fish populations by enhancing and protecting fish habitat.
- Environment Canterbury will continue to support freshwater biodiversity habitat projects to improve fish habitat.
- Environment Canterbury will continue to support community projects that seek to improve fish populations by enhancing and protecting fish habitat.
Drylands
By 2025: Maintain or improve existing high quality indigenous dryland ecosystems in intermontane basins and on the plains.
Has this goal been met?
- Environment Canterbury, Department of Conservation (DOC), and Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) have been working together with Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura, the Clarence community, and Marlborough District Council to protect and enhance the braided Waiau Toa Clarence catchment, which covers a range of ecosystems, including drylands.
- Te Manahuna Aoraki conservation programme is restoring natural landscapes and threatened species across more than 300,000ha of the upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki National Park. The programme works alongside mana whenua, landowners, government agencies and the community and regularly reports on progress.
- Environment Canterbury continues to participate in the National Wilding Pines Control Programme, controlling infestations of wilding conifers in the Canterbury hill and high country over 2.8 million hectares.
- Programmes such as the Waiau Toa/Clarence River weed control initiative, Te Manahuna Aoraki and the National Wilding Pines Control Programme will continue to maintain and improve dryland ecosystems, dependant on resourcing and funding availability.
- The development of the integrated planning framework will need to consider the impacts of activities adjacent to dryland ecosystems and the provision of adequate buffers between activities and dryland ecosystems.
By 2025: Water use (irrigation and changing hydrology as a result of water use) results in no further loss of high quality intermontane basins and plains indigenous dryland ecosystems from 2010.
Has this goal been met?
- Water Zone Committees support a range of initiatives across the region that contribute to the protection of dryland ecosystems.
- Waimakariri District Council’s 2024 Waimakariri Natural Environment Strategy provides a high-level strategic framework to guide the Council’s work in protecting and restoring the natural environment over the next 30 years. The Strategy is guided by the Council’s 2024 Biodiversity state of the environment report (PDF file, 2.5MB), which notes the importance of dryland ecosystems.
- The development of the integrated planning framework will need to consider the impacts of activities adjacent to dryland ecosystems and the provision of adequate buffers between activities and dryland ecosystems.
- Environment Canterbury is considering further work to support identifying all remaining dryland ecosystems monitoring change.
Wetlands
By 2025: All natural wetlands (from 2020) are physically protected through active management, priority of which is provided to significant wetlands.
Has the goal been met?
Wetland protection falls under the regional planning framework; however, the CWMS partners are unclear as to how many wetlands remain, nor the ecological significance of those that do. The most recent available report on wetland lossdata (PDF file, 4.6MB) on wetlands in the region is from 2001 – 2015.
Practical aspects of wetland identification, active management and restoration are being progressed with individual landowners, but Canterbury’s wetland ecosystems are still in decline.
- Recent research by Manaaki Whenua- Landcare Research has shown how remote sensing, using LiDAR, could aid improved conservation management of wetlands through better drain detection.
- A three-year partnership project between landowners, NZ Landcare Trust, Federated Farmers, MPI, Environment Canterbury and others focused on helping farmers develop best management practices for sustainability.
- A wetland restoration plan was produced to guide ongoing management.
- 56 wetland projects were funded by Environment Canterbury over the last 5 years. Thirteen projects were completed in 2023/2024 covering weed control, pest management and fencing of wetlands, with 30 projects still ongoing.
- A regional wetland monitoring programme is underway to assess the current state and trends of wetlands.
- As a part of the Environment Canterbury Long-Term Plan 2024–34, 50 or more natural inland wetlands will be physically assessed annually to study the natural values of these environments.
- Environment Canterbury will continue to work with landowners and community groups to protect and manage wetlands and provide information on wetland management for farmers.
Hāpua, lagoons and estuaries
By 2025: All coastal lagoons, hāpua and estuaries show improvement in key ecosystem health indicators compared to 2010.
Has the goal been met?
Environment Canterbury has not identified key ecosystem health indicators for these coastal environments. However, available data shows that most coastal lakes and lagoons are in a highly nutrient enriched state with an increasing algal biomass.
- Te Roto o Wairewa/Lake Forsyth has shown a notable improvement in nutrient concentrations and water clarity between 2010 and 2024.
- Muriwa/Coopers Lagoon is showing noticeably lower algal biomass, in comparison with other costal lakes monitored in the Canterbury region
- CWMS partners will implement programmes of work in accordance to their environmental strategies, including the Selwyn Distrct Council Waiora One Water Strategy, the Waimakariri District Council Natural and Environment Strategy (PDF file, 2.5MB), the Christchurch City Council Te Wai Ora o Tāne Integrated Water Strategy.
- Project partners will continue working on significant projects across Canterbury, including Whakaora Te Waihora and Wainono Lagoon.
Lowland streams and lakes
By 2025: 70% of lowland and spring-fed streams with at least good aquatic ecosystem health or showing an upward trend.
Has the goal been met?
Between 2015 and 2024, ecosystem health within 88% of monitored lowland streams and 83% of monitored spring-fed streams was stable or improving. Most recent monitoring data shows ecosystem health of 55% of lowland and spring-fed streams can be considered healthy or are improving, 76% of monitored hill-fed steams can be considered healthy or are improving and 38% of spring-fed streams can be considered healthy or are improving.
- Land and Water Aotearoa (LAWA) provides an overview of monitored lakes and rivers to inform decision-makers and recreational users about water quality in the Canterbury region.
- Environment Canterbury conducts regular research to understand the health of our waterways.
Environment Canterbury will continue to work with CWMS partners, community groups and other agencies to improve the region’s freshwater quality.
High country foothill streams and lakes
By 2025: Maintain or improve aquatic ecosystem health of all foothill and high-country rivers and high country lakes from 2020.
Has the goal been met?
Monitoring shows that while not all foothill and high-country rivers are in good ecological health, some are improving.
Between 2015 and 2024, ecosystem health of 78% of monitored foothill and high-country rivers can be considered healthy or improving. Most recent monitoring results show that 80% of hill-fed steams can be considered healthy.
However, many of the region’s monitored high-country lakes are showing an increase in nitrogen concentrations, with 75% showing an increase algal biomass. While our larger, deeper lakes generally have very good water quality, water quality for our small to medium-sized lakes is variable, with 10 of the 25 monitored smaller lakes showing signs of deteriorating water quality.
- Since 2020, Environment Canterbury has expanded its water quality monitoring of high-country lakes. For example, monitoring now includes additional waterbodies like Lake Clearwater.
- The Ōtūwharekai Working Group has several ongoing programmes to address lake water quality, including the development of an integrated catchment management plan to restore the mauri local high-country lakes.
- Environment Canterbury will continue to publish water quality monitoring results on the Land Air Water Aotearoa (LAWA) website.
- The Ōtūwharekai Working Group will continue to action work programmes that aim to improve the water quality of the Ōtūwharekai/Ashburton Lakes catchment.