Regional Parks Management Plan Regional Parks Management Plan

Farming
Farming
There is growing demand to experience farm settings and have contact with farm animals
as the population becomes increasingly urbanised and traditional pastoral farming is lost
from the region. Some parks are grazed to create a countryside landscape that provides
settings for a range of recreation, heritage, conservation and education activities. Many of
the farmed parks are also located on challenging coastal land. The council needs to carefully
manage the parks in a sustainable manner that achieves an optimal, rather than a maximum,
economic return from the farming operations.
Public Public involvement
involvement
There is an increased interest in volunteering on regional parks as a way of contributing to
places the public values, but also to meet social, educational and recreational needs.
Volunteer input is a valued and essential contribution to the regional park network, however,
it requires investment to manage and facilitate, and can place pressure on the management
of some parks.
4.4 Environment
Environment
Environment
Attitudes Attitudes to to the the environ environment
environ ment
Over a number of years there has been increased interest in understanding the region’s
heritage and biodiversity. There is a world-wide trend towards maintaining the viability of
ecosystems rather than species management. The regional parks play an important role in
managing entire and relatively intact ecosystems, and allowing people to experience the
sights and sounds of nature and to participate in the management of the parks. Meeting
these expectations places pressures on providing the funding, supervision and expertise to
support conservation programmes.
Human Human disturbance
disturbance
disturbance
Conflict can occur between the need to protect ecological, geological and cultural features
and visitor access or recreational activities. While some park features, such as streams,
coastal dunes and similar natural ecosystems, may be considered attractive for some
recreation pursuits, they may not be suitable for many activities because of their
vulnerability to irreversible change. High impact activities need to be managed to avoid
adverse effects on vulnerable species or habitats.
Pest Pest Pest control
control
The greatest challenge to indigenous biodiversity and the viability of ecosystems is the
ongoing need for pest plant and animal control. While it is possible to achieve intensive
control of key animal pests in discrete areas such as fenced sanctuaries, the wider parks
network is permanently vulnerable to incursion by pest plants and animals. Surveillance is
necessary to identify incursions of new pests so they can be controlled at an early stage.
Threatened Threatened Threatened species
species
Effective management of threatened plant and animal species can be complex and requires
specialist expertise. Threatened species recovery is a long-term process and success may
take time and be financially costly.
Climate Climate change
change
Global climate change will result in changes to natural physical processes, ecosystems and
habitats on many of the regional parks. Altered weather patterns may result in an increase in
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Regional Parks Management Plan 2010