Abstract | Climate change and biodiversity mitigation through rural subdivision

New Zealand has three big environmental issues that seem to be beyond the grasp of Central and Local Government: Climate change mitigation, contamination of freshwater and coastal waters, and biodiversity decline. Can available incentives to private and commercial sectors help resolve these wicked problems?

This presentation examines these issues in the Auckland Region, where:

• 38% of New Zealand’s live,
• 35-40% greenhouse forcing gases are produced,
• Almost half of rural streams have poor water quality with sediment and nutrients being major contributors to wetland and coastal water decline and
• Only 17% of Auckland’s significant ecological areas remain.

The response to these wicked problems from Auckland’s rural, development and real estate business sectors has been to promote indigenous ecosystem protection and restoration through Auckland’s statutory Unitary Plan. The plan provides development incentives to protect and replant indigenous ecosystems, and the ability to transfer subdivision rights from more remote rural land to the countryside living buffer of urban Auckland.

Bio | Dr Mark Bellingham MEIANZ CEnvP

​​​​​​Dr Mark Bellingham is an accredited planner and a CEnvP Ecology Specialist. Is a member of the New Zealand EIANZ Chapter Executive.

Mark’s road to environmental practice is different to most – researcher for the NZ Wildlife Service, environmental and conservation planning for NGOs and in private practice, lecturing at Auckland and Massey University’s Planning Schools and a long stint as Forest and Bird’s Senior Planner and Conservation Manager. He has extensive experience in District and Regional Planning, Conservation Planning and Threatened Species Planning. With changing statutory plans in Auckland and across New Zealand, his expertise in the integration of species and ecosystem management into regulatory planning is in demand.

In his spare time Mark is a keen tramper and small farmer.