6: Natural Character Volume One [RPS] Policy 6.1.6 – Identify those rivers or parts of rivers that have high or very high natural character. Although there is no specific requirement for the Council to identify rivers that have high or very high natural character, the Council has undertaken an assessment to determine the natural character values of a number of Marlborough’s rivers. This has been carried out to recognise and provide for Section 6(a) of the RMA. Using the criteria in Policy 6.1.5, a five-point assessment scale on the significance of the waterbodies has allowed natural character to be determined. The rivers with high or very high natural character have been mapped in the MEP. Further information on a range of values for Marlborough’s rivers, including natural character values, is set out in Appendix 5. [RPS, R, C, D] Objective 6.2 – Preserve the natural character of the coastal environment, and lakes and rivers and their margins, and protect them from inappropriate subdivision, use and devel opment . This objective meets the expectations of Section 6(a) of the RMA, which establishes that preservation of natural character is a matter of national importance. [RPS, R, C, D] Policy 6.2.1 – Avoid the adverse effects of subdivision, use or development on areas of the coastal environment with outstanding natural character values and on lakes and rivers and their margins with high a nd veryhighnatural charater alues. cv Where the natural character of the coastal environment is outstanding, Section 6(a) of the RMA indicates that this level of preservation should be retained, particularly when coupled with the similar direction in Policy 13 of the NZCPS. This means that any adverse effects on natural character values should be avoided. That is not to say that no subdivision, use or development can occur within the coastal environment - activities may not adversely affect the natural character of the surrounding environment, or may include features or benefits that maintain the existing levels of natural character. For freshwater bodies there is also a requirement in Section 6(a) to preserve the natural character of wetlands, lakes and rivers and their margins and to protect this natural character from inappropriate subdivision, use and development. Having regard to Policy 6.1.5, the Council has assessed the values of rivers and lakes and their level of significance in order to give effect to Section 6(a). In undertaking this assessment, the Council has determined that where the freshwater values are high or very high, then adverse effects on these values should be avoided. [RPS, R, C, D] Policy 6.2.2 – Avoid significant adverse effects of subdivision, use or development on coastal natural character, having regard to the significance criteria in Appendix 4. The degree of adverse effects on coastal natural character is an important consideration under Policy 13(1)(b) of the NZCPS. Where the extent of change in the coastal environment from subdivision, use or development causes significant adverse effects on natural character, the NZCPS states those effects should be avoided. There is therefore a threshold beyond which remediation and/or mitigation of those adverse effects is not an appropriate management option. That threshold will be determined on a case-by-case basis through the resource consent or plan change process. The significance of the adverse effect will depend on the nature of the proposal, the natural character context within which the activity is proposed to occur and the degree of change to the attributes that contribute to natural character in that context. In addition to using information in the appendices on the degree of natural character at particular locations, consideration should also be given to other chapters of the MEP, which help to inform how adverse effects can be avoided. For example, the policies in Chapter 7 - Landscape, Chapter 8 - Indigenous Biodiversity and Chapter 13 - Use of the Coastal Environment, target the 6 – 6