09 Aug 2005

The 2004 Sir Peter Blake Youth Environment Forum

The primary objectives for the forum were to provide young people with opportunities and experiences in environmental management and to develop future environmental leadership. “Learning by doing” was a guiding principle and a series of workshops, involving the students and a variety of volunteers from government agencies, non-profit organisations, universities and business, was held. These workshops covered topics such as waste management and recycling, urban design and wetland conservation. Mini-projects on marine mammal conservation and air quality were also conducted.

What I observed during these workshops and projects was young people engaging with learning about our natural and built environment, grappling with the consequences of human activities and enthusiastically developing potential solutions.

A wonderful example was a field-trip to Pauatahanui Inlet, an arm of the Porirua Harbour around 30 km north of Wellington. While it is one of few significant estuaries in the lower North Island, it is typical of many such inlets in New Zealand in terms of the challenges it faces. New Zealand’s 15,000 km of coastline has over 300 estuarine ecosystems ranging from as small as around three hectares to over 15,000 hectares. Estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems on earth and New Zealand contains examples of all forms including; drowned river valleys (such as Raglan and Pauahatanui), barrier enclosed lagoons (such as Tairua on the Coromandel), coastal embayments (such as Coromandel harbour), semi enclosed bays (such as the Firth of Thames) and river mouths (such as Mokau). Almost all of New Zealand’s estuaries have faced major human induced changes and Pauatahanui is a worthy case-study of the challenges faced by these important ecosystems.

Despite its tidal nature, the Pauatahanui Inlet is primarily a “receiving environment” in that run-off from surrounding areas has significant influence on the health and functioning of the ecosystem. Much of the catchment south of the Inlet is now urbanised while the area adjacent to the northern coastline is rural farmland. This human-induced transition from an originally forested catchment has resulted in significant changes for Pauatahanui, the most significant of which has been increased sedimentation. These sediment loads have significantly reduced the depth of the inlet and, in some cases, exceeded the abilities of fauna and flora to cope. In addition, there is evidence of elevated levels of heavy metals (such as zinc, copper and lead) in muds and organochlorines (from pesticides used on neighbouring farms and horticultural sites) have been found in organisms living in the inlet. There are also raised levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—most likely a result of incomplete combustion of petrol exhausted from cars—since the Inlet has a busy road around its fringes. Thus, the Pauatahanui Inlet faces many human-induced challenges.

The forum’s students were introduced to these issues through undertaking activities such as an assessment of the water quality of streams feeding into the inlet, an examination of important salt-marsh areas (where they assisted in planting seedlings) and the identification and removal of invasive weed species from the fringes of the estuary. The most dramatic learning experience was provided by conducting a cockle count in the inter-tidal zone and comparing the results with historical data on cockle abundance in the inlet. In the mid-1970s the tuangi, or New Zealand cockle (Austovenus stutchbury) grew to around 2,500 cockles per square metre, whereas since the mid 1990s, cockle density in the inlet has reduced to a third of that level.

The students learned that cockles (because they are a filter feeding organism) can be a good indicator species of the overall health of an estuarine ecosystem. Their dramatic reduction in abundance at Pauatahanui over such a short time period immediately raised questions for the students. After learning more about the biology of cockles they quickly identified the likely primary cause as increased siltation and then they grappled with how the problem could be addressed.

An important part of this experience was attending a meeting of the Pauatahanui Inter-Agency Group where students were exposed to the complexity involved in coordinating the variety of interest groups that are an inevitable part of any natural resource management enterprise. After a very full day in the field, students were then asked to put together a presentation for the Minister for the Environment and other senior government figures at Parliament.

The students identified and presented a number of potential solutions including increased riparian planting—and providing financial incentives such as rates relief for farmers who cooperate—involving the local schools more closely in the annual cockle count survey, coastal clean up programmes, sumps and sediment traps for local storm-water and road runoff, increased signage and education of local residents (especially in the newer suburban areas such as Whitby) and ensuring that the reserve contribution required from property development is inflation adjusted and used appropriately.

The presentation that students made revealed that they had learned the important lesson that complex environmental problems seldom have simple solutions but that a determined and multi-faceted approach based on a sound understanding of the causes of the problem can be successful. What I learned was that enthusiasm, passion for our natural environment, and optimism for our future is indeed present in our young people

For me, opportunities like this—to share learning experiences with young New Zealanders—are rejuvenating. We really do have some outstanding young people in this country, full of energy and enthusiasm for our beautiful natural environment and already making important contributions to conservation. It was a privilege to be involved.

Mark Orams
Executive Director
Sir Peter Blake Trust

New Zealand Geographic and the Sir Peter Blake Trust

The Sir Peter Blake Trust has recently been established to honour Sir Peter Blake’s memory and to encourage young New Zealanders to learn more about our natural environment and to develop leadership skills to contribute to its future conservation. The Trust has established a number of projects which focus on making a positive difference and celebrating this country’s unique geography and wildlife. Because these efforts closely align with those of New Zealand Geographic we have become an official supporter of the Sir Peter Blake Trust. As part of this support a regular article featuring the Trust and its activities will appear in each New Zealand Geographic issue. We hope you will enjoy learning more about this organisation and the projects it is involved with.

Warren Judd
Editor, New Zealand Geographic