title: Minimum drain setback distances to protect New Zealand wetlands: tool development

authors: Blyth, James

abstract: This report documents the development of a Wetland Drain Setback Tool (WDST) for New Zealand freshwater wetlands. The purpose of this tool is to assess the potential effects of historical and new drains on wetland ecosystems and provide guidance on appropriate setback distances to protect these ecosystems from adverse effects due to lowered water levels.

The WDST directly supports the implementation of the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F), which were established in 2020 to protect and restore wetlands. These standards prohibit earthworks or modifications to the water cycle within or near wetlands unless exempted for specific reasons like wetland restoration. However, there is a lack of national guidance on acceptable water level declines for different wetland types.

The specific goals of this project were to develop and evaluate the viability of the WDST for New Zealand conditions and recommend subsequent steps for its development. The project involved five key steps:

1. Development of a conceptual model to evaluate how drain systems affect wetland hydrology.
2. Representation of the drain-wetland model in numerical software.
3. Collection of site-specific data to refine and validate the numerical modeling approach.
4. Application of conceptual and numerical models to a hypothetical drain development scenario.
5. Development of two national-scale datasets on hydraulic conductivity and Land Surface Recharge to provide input data in the absence of site measurements.

The conceptual model simplifies wetland hydrology affected by drainage, reducing the need for complex modeling at each wetland. Numerical modeling was done using COMSOL Multiphysics, integrating complex governing equations like groundwater flow.

Site-specific data collection and model calibration were carried out at wetlands in different regions. Satisfactory model calibrations were achieved, indicating the suitability of the drainage model for predicting water level responses.

A hypothetical land development scenario near a wetland on the Kāpiti Coast was tested to demonstrate how the WDST could be applied. Various scenarios indicated lateral setback distances to ensure minimal change in wetland water levels.

Overall, the report concludes that a national tool to estimate drainage effects near wetlands is feasible. It recommends further refinement, including verification at additional wetlands and data collection for input parameters. The tool could potentially be developed into a web-based application, supported by technical guidance material, to assist users in protecting wetland ecosystems through appropriate drainage setback distances.

text: Minimum drain setback distances to protect New Zealand wetlands: tool development This report documents the development of a Wetland Drain Setback Tool (WDST) for New Zealand freshwater wetlands. The purpose of this tool is to assess the potential effects of historical and new drains on wetland ecosystems and provide guidance on appropriate setback distances to protect these ecosystems from adverse effects due to lowered water levels.

The WDST directly supports the implementation of the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F), which were established in 2020 to protect and restore wetlands. These standards prohibit earthworks or modifications to the water cycle within or near wetlands unless exempted for specific reasons like wetland restoration. However, there is a lack of national guidance on acceptable water level declines for different wetland types.

The specific goals of this project were to develop and evaluate the viability of the WDST for New Zealand conditions and recommend subsequent steps for its development. The project involved five key steps:

1. Development of a conceptual model to evaluate how drain systems affect wetland hydrology.
2. Representation of the drain-wetland model in numerical software.
3. Collection of site-specific data to refine and validate the numerical modeling approach.
4. Application of conceptual and numerical models to a hypothetical drain development scenario.
5. Development of two national-scale datasets on hydraulic conductivity and Land Surface Recharge to provide input data in the absence of site measurements.

The conceptual model simplifies wetland hydrology affected by drainage, reducing the need for complex modeling at each wetland. Numerical modeling was done using COMSOL Multiphysics, integrating complex governing equations like groundwater flow.

Site-specific data collection and model calibration were carried out at wetlands in different regions. Satisfactory model calibrations were achieved, indicating the suitability of the drainage model for predicting water level responses.

A hypothetical land development scenario near a wetland on the Kāpiti Coast was tested to demonstrate how the WDST could be applied. Various scenarios indicated lateral setback distances to ensure minimal change in wetland water levels.

Overall, the report concludes that a national tool to estimate drainage effects near wetlands is feasible. It recommends further refinement, including verification at additional wetlands and data collection for input parameters. The tool could potentially be developed into a web-based application, supported by technical guidance material, to assist users in protecting wetland ecosystems through appropriate drainage setback distances.

year: 2023-07-01

title: Rural tourism development in Lithuania (2003–2010) — A quantitative analysis

authors: Baležentis, Tomas

abstract: The objectives of the Rural Development Programme for Lithuania for the period 2007 to 2013 are to: (a) preserve natural and cultural heritage objects, (b) support complementary activity in the rural areas, and (c) generate rural tourism as an economic sector. The aim of this study is to identify current trends specific to the Lithuanian rural tourism sector and propose potential means of development. This study focuses on an inter-county assessment of rural tourism flows within Lithuania by the means of an index decomposition analysis. Consequently, an analysis was undertaken covering factors including the number of the rural tourism farmsteads, spatial distribution of those farmsteads, and capacity, an amended Defert Index, and duration of stay effects. The analysis suggests that the Lithuanian rural tourism sector was negatively affected by the 2008 recession. Indeed, the impacts exhibited relatively high elasticity of demand for rural tourism. Hence, there is a need for the further development of appropriate marketing and information dissemination strategies aimed at both middle and lower income consumers.

text: Rural tourism development in Lithuania (2003–2010) — A quantitative analysis The objectives of the Rural Development Programme for Lithuania for the period 2007 to 2013 are to: (a) preserve natural and cultural heritage objects, (b) support complementary activity in the rural areas, and (c) generate rural tourism as an economic sector. The aim of this study is to identify current trends specific to the Lithuanian rural tourism sector and propose potential means of development. This study focuses on an inter-county assessment of rural tourism flows within Lithuania by the means of an index decomposition analysis. Consequently, an analysis was undertaken covering factors including the number of the rural tourism farmsteads, spatial distribution of those farmsteads, and capacity, an amended Defert Index, and duration of stay effects. The analysis suggests that the Lithuanian rural tourism sector was negatively affected by the 2008 recession. Indeed, the impacts exhibited relatively high elasticity of demand for rural tourism. Hence, there is a need for the further development of appropriate marketing and information dissemination strategies aimed at both middle and lower income consumers.

year: 2012

title: Worlded object and its presentation: A Māori philosophy of language

authors: Mika, Carl Te Hira

abstract: In an era concerned with the survival of Indigenous languages, language as a general phenomenon needs to be thought of as thoroughly connected to one’s worldview. In this article, I propose a different conception of language that sides more with what I call ‘the worlding of things’ than linguistics. To foreshadow my speculations on language, I consider the possibility that, within the representation of one entity in perception, there exist all other entities. An entity is hence ‘worlded’—a key aspect of the term ‘whakapapa’. I then turn to think about language as a general phenomenon for Mäori, and its complex ability to world an entity even as it adumbrates that thing’s backdrop. I consider the verb ‘to be’ in that light, arguing that Mäori identify language as a sort of gathering of entities rather than an instrument for singling out one thing as thoroughly and separably evident. This article is therefore as much about the full participation of the world as it is about language; it also aims to counter the belief that language is merely a conveyor of ideas.

text: Worlded object and its presentation: A Māori philosophy of language In an era concerned with the survival of Indigenous languages, language as a general phenomenon needs to be thought of as thoroughly connected to one’s worldview. In this article, I propose a different conception of language that sides more with what I call ‘the worlding of things’ than linguistics. To foreshadow my speculations on language, I consider the possibility that, within the representation of one entity in perception, there exist all other entities. An entity is hence ‘worlded’—a key aspect of the term ‘whakapapa’. I then turn to think about language as a general phenomenon for Mäori, and its complex ability to world an entity even as it adumbrates that thing’s backdrop. I consider the verb ‘to be’ in that light, arguing that Mäori identify language as a sort of gathering of entities rather than an instrument for singling out one thing as thoroughly and separably evident. This article is therefore as much about the full participation of the world as it is about language; it also aims to counter the belief that language is merely a conveyor of ideas.

year: 2016