Volume One 4. Use of Natural and Physical Resources 4. Use of Natural and Physical Resources Introduction Marlborough’s tangata whenua iwi and early settlers flourished in the Marlborough environment through use of the district’s natural resources. Indigenous forests, wetlands, rivers and the sea were all larders for tangata whenua. From the 1850s, Pakeha settlers cleared forests to extract timber and convert land to pasture. The subsequent agricultural use of the land relied on the quality of the soil resource. As Marlborough grew and developed, the community constructed physical resources to support their economic endeavour and improve quality of life. Today and in the future, the social and economic wellbeing, health and safety of Marlborough still relies on the use of our natural and physical resources. Section 5 of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) recognises that sustainable management includes the use and development of natural and physical resources to provide for the social and economic wellbeing, health and safety of the community. This chapter contains provisions that acknowledge the importance of using and developing our land, water, coastal and air resources and strategic infrastructure in this respect. The objectives and policies provide high level direction on resource use in our environment. This direction is developed further within the resource or activity-based chapters elsewhere in the Marlborough Environment Plan (MEP). Specific provisions within those chapters seek to enable appropriate use and development of natural and physical resources. Provisions are also included on the use and development of natural and physical resources in the Marlborough Sounds. This is because the Marlborough Sounds is highly valued by the community and by visitors to the district. Provisions have been included to guide resource use to ensure that we can continue to enjoy the unique and iconic Marlborough Sounds environment on an ongoing basis. The use and development of land, water, coastal and air resources and strategic infrastructure can adversely affect the resource and/or the surrounding environment. The management of these adverse effects is specifically addressed through the resource or activity-based chapters of the MEP. Issue 4A – Marlborough’s social and economic wellbeing relies on the use of its natural resources. The prosperity of Marlborough has always relied upon utilising and developing the natural resources in the surrounding environment. Historically, the primary sector has driven the local economy. Today, that same sector still contributes over 35 percent of the local economy and employs the equivalent of over 7,000 people on a permanent basis. The industries that make up the primary sector - agriculture, viticulture, horticulture, forestry, fishing and marine farming - are successful because of the environment within which they occur. The availability of suitable land and coastal resources has allowed these industries to prosper and grow. Marlborough’s freshwater resources have been vital to the productivity of some industries within the primary sector, combating dry conditions through irrigation and assisting with the processing of crops. Irrigation and good quality soils on the Wairau Plain have both created opportunities for landowners to diversify their activities. Generally, Marlborough has adequate natural resources of sufficient quality to meet the needs of the primary sector. However, the reliance on natural resources also creates an inherent 4 – 1