Having Your Say in How Public Conservation Land is to be Managed.

“Giving the public a say in how the public conservation estate is managed is at the heart of the current round of Conservation Management Strategies to be done throughout parts of the country,” New Zealand Conservation Authority Chair Kerry Marshall said today.

“First up is the revised draft of the conservation management strategy (CMS) for the Bay of Plenty which the Department of Conservation (DOC) has released and this is really the pilot for how the CMSs will be written in future.

“The public conservation estate covers a third of the country and most New Zealanders will have used it at some time.

“So everybody in the country, who has an interest in how public conservation land is to be managed, needs to take a look at the Bay of Plenty CMS because, if approved, it will drive planning in other regions.

“It is the first of DOC’s conservation management strategies to be revised and is intended to be the model for all other strategies,” Mr Marshall said.

The New Zealand Conservation Authority approves DOC’s conservation management strategies.

The Department of Conservation has already released the draft revised Bay of Plenty CMS for public submissions.

The CMS is available for reference or downloading in pdf form on www.doc.govt.nz. Select Getting Involved and then the Consultations box. It is easier for the processing of submissions if you use the template provided when making a submission. A published paper copy or a CD can be requested from DOC’s Bay of Plenty conservancy office ph. 07 349 7400.

Submissions close on 9 May 2009 at 4.30pm.

Background

The purpose of a conservation management strategy is to implement general policies and establish objectives for the integrated management of natural and historic resources, including any species, managed by the Department of Conservation, and for recreation, tourism and other conservation purposes1. The Conservation General Policy expects CMSs will clearly articulate the values that will be protected, the priorities for management intervention, and the outcomes that are sought.

This is the first revision of a conservation management strategy and the first to be revised since the Conservation General Policy was approved by the Minister of Conservation in May 2005.

It is the intention of the Department that the revised Bay of Plenty CMS will be the model which other CMSs should follow as to style, size and content when they are revised.

The Conservation General Policy can be referenced on www.doc.govt.nz/conservationgeneralpolicy. The pathway is Publications, About DOC, Role, Policies and plans.