Volume One 13. Use of the Coastal Environment Issue 13G – Disturbance of the foreshore and seabed through reclamation, dredging, drainage, deposition or other activities can have adverse and irreversible effects on values of the coastal environment. Section 12 of the RMA places restrictions on use of the foreshore and seabed within the coastal marine area. Essentially, no person may reclaim, drain, disturb (excavate, drill or tunnel), deposit substances or remove any natural material (sand, shingle, shell) in respect of the foreshore and seabed, unless it is provided for by either a rule in a plan or by a resource consent. Various activities involving disturbances to the foreshore and seabed are undertaken within Marlborough’s coastal environment. A number of these provide considerable benefits to the community. An example is the clearance, cutting and realignment of river mouths to lessen potential effects of flooding events. The ability for people or authorities to undertake this activity provides considerable benefits and it is likely that the need for this activity will continue in the future. Similarly, reclamations constructed as part of port and marina development bring both economic and social wellbeing to the community. However, depending on the scale and location of the disturbance activity, considerable adverse effects can arise for a range of values. For example, the most significant adverse effect of a reclamation is the burial of the seabed. This threatens habitats associated with the seabed, the life-supporting capacity of a much larger surrounding area and potentially affects iwi values. Other potential effects associated with reclamation include interruption to the water movement patterns, shoaling effects, exclusion of water-based uses, visual impacts and construction effects. Dredging activities, which are most often required around ports and marinas and particularly within and approaching the Havelock port area, can also have significant adverse environmental effects. The main effect of dredging is the physical destruction and/or removal of any benthic aquatic life within the dredged area. Dredging can also affect water movement patterns and alter the physical nature of sediments, thus potentially affecting habitats. Other disturbance activities may appear more benign in their level of effect, such as beach enhancement or the use of motor vehicles along the foreshore. However, these activities may have adverse effects that are not apparent and therefore should also be subject to a management framework through the MEP. The objectives and policies that follow establish an approach that enables the continuation of some disturbance activities, especially where these are essential for the ongoing and safe operation of existing infrastructure, while ensuring the effects of disturbance activities are appropriately addressed or otherwise avoided. Reclamation and drainage [RPS, C] Objective 13.11 – Minimise the loss of Marlborough’s coastal marine area through reclamation or drainage. Reclamations and/or drainage permanently alter the foreshore and seabed and alter the area available to the public in terms of the rights for use of the common marine and coastal area (as set out in the Common Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011). It is therefore important that the loss of coastal marine area through reclamation is minimised. 13 – 33