Volume One 8. Indigenous Biodiversity The Council has a partnership role with the Minister of Conservation in managing Marlborough’s coastal marine area. The Minister is responsible for approving regional coastal plans and also administers the NZCPS. For this reason, maintaining a strong partnership with the Department of Conservation through its area and local offices will be very important in looking after Marlborough’s marine biodiversity. The Council has entered a collaborative partnership with Top of the South councils (Tasman, Marlborough and Nelson), MPI Biosecurity New Zealand, marine farming industries and iwi to help build capability and put in place a framework to manage future marine biosecurity threats. The Department of Conservation will also be involved in the consideration of biosecurity threats where these may affect marine biodiversity. Many residents, resident groups and other community based groups have an interest in how Marlborough’s coastal marine areas are to be managed into the future. Maintaining a strong relationship with these individuals and groups will help to achieve the outcomes sought for maintaining marine biodiversity. This will extend to supporting community initiatives and advocating to government departments to set up protected marine areas and working with industry groups to promote sustainable use of marine resources. 8.M.12 Acquisition of land The Council may consider acquiring sites with outstanding ecological values where land purchase is the only means available for protection of the values and that land is available for purchase. The Council will also encourage other agencies to do this. Anticipated environmental results and monitoring effectiveness The following table identifies the anticipated environmental results of the indigenous biodiversity provisions of the MEP. The anticipated environmental results are ten year targets, unless otherwise specified. For each anticipated environmental result, a series of indicators will be used to monitor the effectiveness of the indigenous biodiversity provisions. Anticipated environmental result Monitoring effectiveness 8.AER.1 There is an increase in the area of land covered in indigenous vegetation (including in riparian margins) in An increase in the number and extent of those parts of Marlborough defined as acutely or ecosystems, habitats and areas with chronically threatened in the Threatened Environment indigenous biodiversity value that are Classification (National Priority One in “Statement of formally protected or covenanted (where National Priorities for Protecting Rare and Threatened practicable). Biodiversity on Private Land). The number of sites with significant indigenous biodiversity value under formal protection by either a landowner agreement with the Council or a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant or similar has increased. There is an increase in the number of marine protected areas. 8 – 17