• Scale: Recognition of a globally unique marine environment.
• Complexity: Managing the interface between exceptional biodiversity and valuable resources.

Mission

The Guardians’ vision is “that the quality of Fiordland’s marine environment and fisheries, including the wider fishery experience, be maintained or improved for future generations to use and enjoy.”

Objectives

Information

• Take a proactive role in identifying and advocating research and information needs to obtain the necessary information for advancing the Guardian’s objectives.

Fisheries

• Ensure the sustainable utilization of the finite fisheries resources, with regard to the special nature of the fiord environment.
• Prevent uncontrolled expansion of effort/harvest by all groups.
• Ensure that the rights of tangata whenua (indigenous peoples of New Zealand), recreational, charter operators, commercial and other user groups are identified and recognized and that these groups are involved in fisheries management decisions including access to the fisheries resource.
• Support overarching fisheries management frameworks.
• Fit management of fisheries to an appropriate spatial scale.
• Encourage harvesting to take place at the entrances and outer coast.
• Encourage voluntary compliance with the rules and reinforce the view that non-compliance is unacceptable behavior.
• Adopt a cautious and responsible approach to proposals for new developments, including fisheries developments.

Values of special significance

• Ensure the ongoing integrity of areas, habitats, and communities of special significance within Fiordland’s marine environment.

Risks to the marine environment

• Avoid where possible, remedy, or mitigate the adverse impacts of human activities on fisheries and the marine environment.

Expressing kaitiakitanga

• That kaitiakitanga (stewardship) be appropriately expressed for Fiordland’s fisheries and marine environment.

Implementing the strategy

• The negotiated package of measures contained in the strategy be implemented as a whole without compromising underlying principles and balances.

Compliance objective

• Encourage voluntary compliance with the rules and reinforce the view that non-compliance is unacceptable behavior.

Monitoring the performance of the strategy

• Evaluate whether the package of management measures is achieving the objectives of the Integrated Management Strategy.

Initiator

Key Parties

Government agencies

• Environment Southland
• Ministry of Fisheries
• Department of Conservation, Ministry of Environment

Local stakeholders

• Ngai Tahu Whanui (local tribe)
• Recreational and local fishers
• Charter operators
• Science interests

The Fiordland Marine Management Act of 2005 established the Fiordland Marine Guardians (as a statutory advisory body) and identified the Ministries for the Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture and Forestry, the Department of Conservation, and the Southland Regional Council as the management agencies, to work together to successfully implement the Act.

The Guardians of Fiordland’s Fisheries and Marine Management Environment, Inc. was established in response to concern about the sustainability of local fisheries and the increasing impacts of tourism on the environment. The coalition included representatives from the commercial and recreational fishermen, charter boat operators, Ngai Tahu, and other community interests. They adopted a collaborative approach to developing a shared strategy for management of their shared fiordland resource.

The initiative was initially developed to address fisheries management, identify values of special significance, evaluate risks to the marine environment and to express kairiakitanga (the Maori concept of providing guardianship of the environment).

The effort evolved from a legacy of conservation activity. Established in 1952, the inland area surrounding the fiords was designated as a National Park and now includes over 1.2 million hectares. The park drew further international recognition in 1986 when the park was listed as a natural World Heritage site, and again in 1990 when it was incorporated in the Te Wahipounamu (South-West New Zealand) World Heritage Area (a 2.6 million hectare network of national parks).

The Ecosystem

New Zealand’s Fiordland is a unique aquatic-terrestrial community formed by glaciers which created deep aquatic fiords bordered by steep, mountainous coasts. Most of the 15 fiords of Fiordland are 200-300 meters deep, with a shallow lip near the mouth.

The region has a temperate rainforest climate which is not typically found so far south. Winds from the west bring warm, moist air from the Tasman Sea to the area’s mountains, which combine with cool air to yield high rates of precipitation. Brief, torrential rains sustain a freshwater surface layer in the fiords, inhibiting growth of kelp beds that characterize the outer coast.

Consequently, the fiords provide a rather unique habitat and are home to dolphins, seals, and a variety of birds. Developing in relative isolation, the area is characterized by a high rate of endemism.

Threats

Major threats to the ecosystem include over-fishing, invasion by pest species, oil spills and damage to sensitive habitats from anchors and diving.

• Creation of marine reserves and “china shops,” small, discrete areas known for outstanding abundance and/or biodiversity. (Both marine reserves and china shops aim to protect important species and habitats, and are subject to strict rules and regulations.)
• Use of recreational fishing regulations (gear restrictions, release of egg-carrying rock lobsters) and commercial fishing regulations (limitation of fishing zones to outer waters of Fiordland, gear restrictions).
• Guidelines on moorings and anchorages.
• Public awareness campaign on “biosecurity,” and invasive species prevention (boat and gear cleaning, reporting of unusual species).

The Guardians plan recognizes that evaluation of management measures is equally as important as developing the strategy itself. The Strategy recommends identification and monitoring of indicators specific to each component of the Strategy, in order to just how well the approach is working and provide for adaptive management.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Develop and refine indicators for fisheries, values of special significance, risks to the marine environment, expressing kaitiakitanga, and an overview of the success of the strategy.
• Evaluate how these indicators can be measured most effectively.
• Assess whether current information can provide useful baseline data.
• Advocate for the monitoring program when the strategy is implemented.

Legal Protections

Until the early 1960s, the aquatic fiords were included as part of the Fiordland National Park. Nor were the fiords included in the 1986 or 1990 World Heritage designations, though the IUCN recommended that the New Zealand government reconsider formal protection of the system to increase integrity of the sites.

As a result of the Guardians’ efforts to promote ecosystem-based management, the federal government recognized and formalized the collaborative effort by creating legislation unique to the management of the ecosystem: The Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act (2005).

Following passage of the Act, eight new marine reserves were dedicated. With these legal protections in place, the seabed and waters of the fiords have been placed on the New Zealand tentative World Heritage list, as an addition to the Te Wahipounamu (South-West New Zealand) World Heritage Area.

Creation of a Lasting Community Presence

Due to the Guardians’ initial grassroots mobilization to develop a community-based, ecosystem-based management approach, the Fiordland Marine Guardians, a permanent advisory body was developed. Members of the group are appointed by the Minister for the Environment to advise central and local government agencies on the management of the Fiordland marine area.

Increased Public Pride and Awareness

Since much of the Fiordlands are rugged and isolated, compliance with regulations must be largely voluntary (though responsible agencies are authorized by respective mandate to perform enforcement activity). Thus, raising public awareness and pride for the Fiordlands as a national treasure has been an important accomplishment.

The Guardians and agencies teamed to develop a Fiordlands Marine Area User’s Guide, which includes information on the ecological and social history of the system, recommended anchorage sites, and overview of fishing regulations. Though commercial fishing restrictions are governed by the Fisheries Regulations of 1986, the Guardians’ website includes specific descriptions of where commercial fishing is and is not allowed; by publicizing the information puts pressure on all Fiordland users to ensure the restrictions are being heeded.

Ministry for the Environment. Fiordland Marine Conservation Strategy: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/biodiversity/fiordland-marine-strategy/index.html

Ministry for the Environment. Fiordland Marine Guardians: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/biodiversity/fiordland/index.html

UNESCO. Waters and seabed of Fiordland (Te Moana O Atawhenua): http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5121/

Fiordland Marine Guardians. Community Management of Fiordland’s Marine Environment: http://www.fmg.org.nz/index.php?p=home