Planning for Marine Protected Areas
1.3 West Coast Marine and Coastal Environment Report
This initial report is an attempt to bring together relevant information about the West Coast marine and coastal environment in one document. It has been written for the West Coast Marine Protection Forum to assemble information about the physical, biological, and social features of the marine and coastal environment of the West Coast Tai Poutini.
The information in this report, as well as further information contributed by members of the public, tangata whenua and stakeholders will provide the Forum with a physical, biological, and social picture of the marine and coastal environment of the West Coast. In addition, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Fisheries are jointly developing a marine and coastal classification system, a protection standard, and an inventory which will be used by the Forum to assist it in recommending what areas need to be protected.
Public response is sought on this initial version of the report so that any errors of fact, omissions, or misrepresentations in the report can be corrected before the report is finalised.
The final report will be used to help identify marine and coastal habitats that may be suitable for protection when the Forum considers MPA recommendations to the respective Ministers of Fisheries and Conservation. Recommendations that are accepted by Ministers will then be subject to a statutory consultation process. The Forum will use the national classification and protection standards, in addition to an inventory of existing protection. Information in this report should help the Forum identify marine and coastal habitats; as well as appreciate in more detail how people use and value the West Coast marine and coastal environment.
The report may also be regarded as base line information about the West Coast marine and coastal environment and as such be a useful source of information for all interested in protecting the marine and coastal environment.
Note that this report does not contain any recommendations, or reach any conclusions about how any particular habitat could (or should) be protected. When the Forum reaches that point in the process, it will report its draft conclusions back to communities of interest, stakeholders and tangata whenua to ask for comment before finalising its recommendations to the Ministers of Conservation and Fisheries.