Examples of opportunities and outcomes for research topics Research topics Needs Basic knowledge Opportunities Practical application Outcomes Translation into policy and management Examples of types of knowledge needed to populate models, develop tools, and inform policy Examples of models, research approaches, or technologies that build on basic knowledge Examples of possible outcomes when knowledge needs and innovation opportunities are achieved to inform management and policy Ongoing monitoring of natural and managed ecosystems and services to track changes in physical conditions over time Integrating data and metadata to generate high-level, ecosystem-wide monitoring and reporting Delivery of data to stakeholders Developing and deploying innovative tools for efficient and cost-effective gathering of data Integrated, remote sensing technology Citizen science provides opportunities for data collection and engagement New technological developments will provide user-friendly, linked science/policy response data for improved policy and management Using mātauranga Māori-based monitoring to inform research and citizen science to generate new insights into trends Defining indicators and monitoring variables to capture mātauranga Māori and the state of mauri Developing data products, delivery systems, and tools that incorporate mātauranga indicators Ability to assess the significance of the environment from a Māori perspective Mātauranga indicators support kaitiakitanga and help improve environmental outcomes overall Land-use data, classifications, and management Developing an official dataset with an appropriate level of detail for both local and national coverage, using standard classifications Linking data on farm practice and environmental impact to financial and other relevant data, such as GIS and census data included through the integrated data infrastructure. Resource management applications facilitate optimal use of land to achieve environmental and economic objectives, including water quality and climate change Improved and methods for data gathering and management in the marine domain Access and availability of data and metadata New tools and data infrastructure for marine data monitoring including: ocean acidification and warming native marine birds and mammals coastal habitats and species deep-water habitats and species Large scale datasets with spatial granularity utilising forms of mapping and interpretation More timely, robust and comprehensive data is available to quantify the state of the marine environment at a national level Data allows improved assessment of impacts of fishing and other activities on coastal and open ocean ecosystems land-
to support planning processes Robust models to support coastal urban planning Adapting to and mitigating climate change including reducing its impacts and Options for mitigation, adaptation and risk management, along with costs and benefits Strengthened use of social science to characterise societal preferences and values in adaptation and mitigation pathways Theory and tools to develop dynamic adaptive pathways that overcome fixed, adaptation responses Systematic mapping of adaptation pathways for most vulnerable systems and locations Risk management tools enable adaptive management methodologies that promote resilience and continued prosperity in the face of ongoing change Strengthened links between climate change research and its utility for practice in the private and public sector Emerging technologies and practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across different sectors Analysis of emission reduction potential and cost/benefit of different options and contribution to pathways in different sectors (transport, urban planning, renewable energy, energy efficiency) Understanding the contribution of different systems to carbon sequestration (eg, oceans, forests, soils) including forest sinks and restoration of indigenous vegetation, and their associated co-benefits Integrated land-use models that capture interactions between greenhouse gas mitigation, quality/quantity, biodiversity and other environmental outcomes Global integrated assessment models to understand implications of global changes on New Zealand’s mitigation opportunities and risks Developing alternative low-carbon development pathways within sectors and across the economy Ability to model between deferred near-term and enhanced long-term actions to meet goals Identification and support for business and market opportunities arising from greenhouse gas mitigation approaches Current capability and strategic needs New Zealand research providers have internationally recognised strengths in climate change science, but this capability needs to be maintained, and improved in some areas. Specifically, there is a need to build capability in model development, science translation, and policy and management tools. Other needs include strengthened partnerships between researchers and iwi, to identify knowledge gaps and develop adaptation pathways and mitigation opportunities that recognise the particular needs of iwi. Continued investment in climate change science and monitoring is vital to test predictions and inform ongoing adaptive management to changes. Collaboration across a range of disciplines, including social science, economics and engineering is required. We need to continue to collaborate internationally, including on Antarctic and Southern Ocean research, and on social and economic sciences as well as biophysical sciences. making
Improved and integrated detection and eradication/suppression tools and management systems for a range of current and potential biosecurity risks in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments Identifying biological traits to exploit in pests Identifying the risk of emerging pathogen and ‘sleeper pests’ (highly localised species and/or in a quiescent phase) and weeds Understanding effects of climate change on species ranges and habitats of species of interest Exploit species-specific weaknesses for incursion response and suppression Novel methods for meta-genomics to characterise endemic and non-native pathogenic agents Risk models that capture incremental climate change implications Quantifying role of host phylogeny and host range on likelihood of extent/scale of impact The efficiency and effectiveness of current management regimes are significantly increased, are publicly acceptable, and work at a range of scales Policy guidance to risk models of change Better targeted profiling of imported products that pose a biosecurity risk and pathways Disruptive tools, technologies or approaches that have the potential to radically change the paradigm for managing biosecurity risks Understanding climatic, population and environmental influences on disease expression Species-specific, targeted technological approaches to pest and weed control on scales Novel technologies for reducing biofouling risk on vessels (particularly large merchant vessels) Cost-efficient delivery systems are available for suppression that can detect and control diffuse populations over large areas Institutional arrangements for integrating the aspirations of community stakeholders, whānau, iwi and hapū, and business interests to deliver enduring biosecurity outcomes that work at increased scales Understanding the drivers for behaviour change Assessment of the value of different models Identification of institutional arrangements that best deliver conservation and environmental outcomes in a range of contexts Understanding the drivers of social acceptability for use of biosecurity tools and management options, which considers: views of Māori, iwi and hapū different worldviews to manage future biosecurity activities or in developing/refining management Improved understanding of the social acceptability of control methods (biological control, mating suppression, lethal genes, targeted biocides) in natural and modified ecosystems Management approaches to achieve maximum community support for achieving biosecurity outcomes with acceptable tools into policies that incorporate arrangements to safeguard community, ethical and other requirements
on complex systems, and develop appropriate indicators for decision-makers and communities. Investigate how institutional arrangements can help improve ecosystems outcomes. Examples of opportunities and outcomes for research topics Research topics Basic knowledge Opportunities Practical application Outcomes Translation for policy and management Examples of types of knowledge needed to populate models, develop tools, and inform policy Examples of models, research approaches, or technologies that build on basic knowledge Examples of possible outcomes when knowledge and innovation opportunities are achieved to inform management and policy Baseline information, models and tools to enable sustainable management of land, fresh water and marine domains, and interface environments such as estuaries Interactive and integrated systems models to inform policy across domains Quantifying key relationships between land, water, and marine domains Identifying key integrated model parameters Developing integrated models that link desired marine and coastal outcomes to changes RMA instruments such as plans and national policy statements utilise integrated data and tools for optimal outcomes across all ecosystem domains Visualisation tools provide communities with the means to consider plausible future scenarios Ecosystem services valuation to inform decision-making across ecosystem domains and in interface environments Identifying ecosystem services most relevant to communities in relation to resource use, conservation and development Understanding the demands on and capacity of ecosystems to provide services Mapping ecosystem services for communicating value of nature, trade-offs, and Valuation frameworks integrate community values across all well-beings in a way that usefully informs choice- making Using an ecosystem services framework for environmental reporting gives a comprehensive view of the system and Scenario analysis can test policy or community-driven options to improve ecosystem services Approaches to ensure ecosystem integrity and endangered ecosystems and species (including genetic resources) are protected at a national scale within a matrix of competing land and water (fresh and marine) uses Understanding relationships between endangered ecosystems and land and water use and surrounding ecosystems Developing a credible methodology for prioritising ecosystems for protection at both national and local scales Identification of key management response points, with a focus on identifying where management can make the biggest difference for multiple benefits The community has improved for risk analysis and the design and implementation of management strategies Integrated threat/stress management is used to maximise ecosystem services values (initially at catchment scale) Mitigating impacts of natural hazards, including geological hazards Data and monitoring of extreme rainfall events and flooding Rationalisation of natural hazards data and information into a single platform Models to inform how natural hazards can be managed to both and mitigate adverse effects, while also Natural hazards management is well informed by defensible tools to quantify hazards, interpret risk, and adopt effective interventions and appropriate scales
Information, tools and models to understand, predict and manage hazards including fire, tectonic and volcanic activities and climate extremes, where these have an impact on species and ecosystems. Baseline and monitoring data on species and ecosystems in response to natural hazard events Developing reliable and timely ecological response models Ecological response models are used for rapid design of mitigation actions (including for infrastructure) Managing threatened biodiversity on the public conservation estate and private land at regional and national scales including through integration into production and urban landscapes taking into account expanding matrix of competing land uses Improved knowledge of systematics and evolution of native biota to underpin documentation and analysis of species, and their distribution Knowledge of synergies (win-wins) with, or competition between, different land uses and biodiversity Scenarios/models of land-use impacts on biodiversity at extensive (choice of land cover) and intensive (production methods) margins New tools and management systems that integrate biodiversity into systems Understanding and utilisation of mātauranga Māori values and practices for land ecosystem management alongside science-based approaches to ensure optimal outcomes Cultural monitoring methods and indicators Knowledge of mātauranga practices Modelling outcomes from mātauranga Māori and scientific practices and combinations of approaches Co-knowledge generation processes to enable more effective partnering when implementing management actions Reducing fragmentation and improving the health and resilience of soil and terrestrial ecosystems Baseline data and monitoring of soils and ecosystem health Baseline data on current and anticipated land-management practices Knowledge of tipping points and impacts on in response to agricultural and other land-use practices Scenarios/models of impacts of use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers and new technologies Predictive models of how soils are affected by land-use change, land management practices, and mitigation options Soil sustainability models used as a core component in farm environment planning and overall land-use planning Options for remediation of legacy land-use practices that: are cost-effective maintain the productive potential of land within defined environmental constraints Identifying alternative/modified practices that are to implement Understanding behaviours and values of the farming sector to enable and influence a shift towards more sustainable practices Developing sustainable land-use models that are context-specific and identifying practices for which they provide an alternative Farm environment plans and similar initiatives implement sustainable land-use practice changes
Identification of emerging contaminants and potential impacts to enable proactive management Categorising the chemicals and other contaminants of concern and their potential impacts on flora and fauna Developing and using transport, transformation and source-to-sink models Tracking and forecasting the chemical environment Derivation of levels of emerging contaminants that represent concerns to ecosystem health and human health; their sources and sinks identified in district plans. Understanding trajectories of change, thresholds and tipping points to better predict the state of fresh water and its values Linking these data to models of terrestrial and freshwater production systems and to desired environmental flow and water quality conditions in rivers, lakes, groundwater and wetlands Clear definition and examples of tipping points and thresholds at the single-species and ecosystem scales, so there is a consistent approach to avoidance of such occurrences Development, guidance and use of interoperable models within a context Good time-series data and statistical analyses are used in a threshold response to inform policy and management Tools, processes and policies to scale up freshwater ecosystem restoration that: are cost-effective address the range of pressures facing these systems (including pressures) deliver essential biodiversity outcomes (eg, habitat, taonga and threatened species) enhance ecosystem services Improved knowledge of restoration trajectories in a of scales in time and space, and the capability to measure change and responses to mitigation approaches Modelling consequences of restoration actions for ecosystems, species and economics Ecosystems are connected in policy and management approaches (ki uta ki tai) Knowledge and tools for communities, iwi and hapū to best determine and achieve the environmental conditions that meet their aspirations at the catchment scale Identifying, classifying and prioritising ecological, cultural and social values (including mātauranga Māori) in freshwater bodies Identify key drivers of change, eg, sedimentation, nutrients, climate change Use of tools (eg, Bayesian Knowledge Networks) and resulting visualisations within a collaborative community context to create and test management scenarios Successful models of restoration are adapted and refined according to community and aspirations and results incorporated into local/regional policy Modelling, monitoring, data infrastructures, and data systems for fresh water that incorporate: Identifying comparative sentinel sites and indicators across the range of Developing interoperable models that include economic consequences, indices Management and policy are informed dynamically by use of a variety of models,
What are the research priorities? Identifying marine habitats that provide biodiversity, social, traditional food gathering (kaimoana), recreational, primary production, and commercial production (fisheries) values. Understanding present and future threats to these habitats, including from climate change. Accessing high-quality data to characterise the marine domain, establish environmental baselines, and track changes over time and space. Examples of opportunities and outcomes for research topics Research topics Needs Basic knowledge Opportunities Practical application Outcomes Translation for policy and management Examples of types of knowledge needed to populate models, develop tools, and inform policy Examples of models, research approaches, or technologies that build on basic knowledge Examples of possible outcomes when knowledge and innovation opportunities are achieved to inform management and policy Future-proofing New Zealand’s marine domain includes biodiversity conservation efforts to maximise resilience of species/ecosystems and communities into account increasing anthropogenic environmental pressures addresses issues such as food security, spatial competition, and regional and global connectivity Ongoing emphasis on basic surveys to determine the nature and state of marine resources New tools to complete rapid inventories – need for broad coverage Identifying an agreed set of indicator species Integrating new survey tools with citizen science capability, both domestic and international Spatial planning tool refinement linked to policy process management tools are used to evaluate and manage competing interests affecting marine biodiversity and sustainability
Identifying key coastal and oceanic habitats that drive production and recruitment of fish and other species, and how to sustainably manage these species’ habitats in the face of increasing pressures on oceans and the coastal environment (including estuaries) New rapidly deployable sensing tools for habitat mapping Long-term collection of basic biophysical data at appropriate spatial and temporal scales Establishing open access to monitoring data and a metadata catalogue Spatial expansion of habitat characterisation across Coastal Marine Area/EEZ Integrating regional, national and global datasets Remote-sensing and other verified monitoring technologies and tools that can identify and catalogue key habitats Establishing environmental baselines and tracking changes in the coastal marine area and wider EEZ Novel tools for habitat characterisation New habitat maps used as a basis for policy Dynamic resource management through tools, models and processes for describing ecosystem health Knowledge that underpins environmental reporting, impact assessments, and prioritisation of restoration efforts Improved utilisation of hazard and climate change science and modelling to manage the interfaces between land, freshwater and marine domains Research on tolerance ranges of habitats and species to changing sea levels, ocean acidification, and sediment and contaminants from land and rivers Demonstrate effects of changing sea levels, ocean acidification etc on habitat, species’ life cycles and species’ distributions Better informed decision-making benefits biodiversity conservation, environmental management, and relevant communities Understanding and utilising mātauranga Māori/cultural monitoring methods, indicators and management tools for the coastal/marine environment in association with approaches to ensure optimal environmental outcomes Co-knowledge generation processes for more effective partnering when implementing management actions Recognition and understanding of both existing and new and how they can be used in complementary ways Use of citizen science to collect data, including collaboration with mātauranga monitoring methods Frameworks to link cultural health indices with management and policy-setting Tools and processes to rapidly identify existing and emerging contaminants, measure and track their spatial extent, and rapidly identify their implications for the coastal-marine environment Data on the types, sources, and quantities of contaminants in our waterways Improved understanding of pathways and impacts of contaminants on the marine environment Technologies for quantifying inputs (eg, passive samplers) Novel ecotoxicology bioassays tailored to New Zealand Improved and processes allow effective management of emerging contaminants to prevent/minimise negative impacts
designed roads that channel pollutant-loaded runoff directly into waterways, sewage overflows) understanding the drivers and motivations of individual and organisational choices and behaviours – so New Zealanders recognise and take advantage of opportunities for realising environmental gains, for example, through more sustainable urban design and urban ecosystems the potential impacts of coastal developments on connectivity and health of marine habitats. Key question How can we develop our environments to make them more resilient and liveable, maximising their value for people and biodiversity while minimising negative impacts on public health, and on adjacent land, fresh water and coastal and marine environments? What are the research priorities? Understanding how to design and build urban green space and natural habitat, which maximises indigenous biodiversity and is resilient to climate change in the longer term. Better for community engagement and participation in planning and regeneration processes. Improved data infrastructure for long-term infrastructure management and transition to cities (low carbon and low pollution). Examples of needs, opportunities and outcomes for research topics Research topics Basic knowledge Opportunities Practical application Outcomes Translation for policy and management Examples of types of knowledge needed to populate models, develop tools, and inform policy Examples of models, research approaches, or technologies that build on basic knowledge Examples of possible outcomes when knowledge and innovation opportunities are achieved to inform management and policy Understanding design features required to: enhance human health, well-being, cultural and social values improve urban biodiversity and ecosystem function ensure minimal impacts on the natural environment Understanding social and cultural values Knowledge of biodiversity and habitat needs – identification and assessment of key remnant ecosystems and associated populations Environmental monitoring using common metadata standards for urban data Human health monitoring linked to environmental drivers, eg, air pollution Urban planning models for climate resilience (eg, blue-green infrastructure) and healthy urban environment Effective engagement and decision-making processes and to allow communities to effectively participate in planning and development Impact assessment tools Incorporation of environmental protection, biodiversity management and risk overlays in council GIS and district Baseline measures and ability to monitor progress, to set targets in district and regional plans Communities actively participate in planning and processes
Urban land-use ecosystem model/decision tools to inform household, community, and industry-level responses to key drivers of ecosystem and water quality in urban areas Real-time remote data recorders that better track and demonstrate individual and community actions that are harming the environment Emerging contaminant prediction models and analysis tools Contaminant load modelling in urban catchments (eg, OVERSEER®-type software) Data used to drive social and economic changes that incentivise more sustainable behaviours Reconnecting dwellers with indigenous biodiversity and ecosystems Identifying processes and ensuring they effectively partner with urban iwi, hapū and whānau Assessing community knowledge, understanding and environmental values for demographic, and ethnic variables Increasing citizen’s understanding of native biodiversity and ecosystems, including threats and opportunities Utilising knowledge of gaps and opportunities to develop targeted environmental education resources Identifying for effective community pest control and ecosystem restoration programmes Environmental education resources are freely accessible to urban-based iwi, community groups, schools, locals, and local government in a range of media communities actively initiate and support ‘citizen-led’ biodiversity and ecosystem restoration and enhancement programmes Transitioning New Zealand towns and cities towards a low-emission and society Technology and options that will improve energy efficiency without reducing service performance, eg, in the transport sector Increasing understanding of people’s motivations for choices and behaviours National community education programmes New technology that provides efficiencies performing at desired service levels Proven policy options implemented through district and regional plans and other pathways Resilience to natural hazards and climate change – information, tools and processes to better predict impacts and enhance resilience in urban areas Integration that use natural ecosystem data to deliver messages, real time and for future scenarios that can be used to improve adaptive capacity and sustainable use of resources Impact modelling across all well-beings Financial, and building solutions that optimise resilience and minimise adverse effects (eg, increased costs) Technological and structural adaptations (solar energy, rainwater collection) to facilitate resilience in extreme events Cities and communities are more resilient and able to cope with shocks The built environment is designed and adapted to be resilient and to better cope with the impact of natural hazards or extreme events
Identifying species and community bottlenecks and tipping points to inform better system-wide management Standardised data required for management intervention and monitoring, chosen from combined analysis of exemplar studies Improved knowledge of factors leading to tipping points – across various scales of time and space, different environments and ecosystems New, simple-to-apply population viability analysis tools Guidelines for population management based on meta-analysis of exemplar studies in main taxon groups A system to identify priorities for management and policy intervention Priority-setting for management and policy interventions increases success of maintaining or restoring habitats, populations and ecosystems to sustainable levels Overlapping climate change and species tolerance models and maps to identify effects and ongoing conservation needs for proactive management of species and populations Collection of agreed tolerance range monitoring data for susceptible indicator species Improved knowledge of climate change, disease and contaminant interactions on susceptible indicator species Developing species tolerance range models linked to climate change predictions Mitigation strategies take account of tolerance change model predictions for at-risk species Scaling up vertebrate, weed, pest and disease control to achieve eradication, using existing and new technologies in ways that are socially and culturally acceptable and cost-effective Understanding the behaviour and detectability of at low densities to prevent incursions and achieve eradication Identifying technologies that could potentially be used, including consideration of social licence to operate Information on acceptability of new technologies for pest control to inform policy choices Understanding how management actions interact with one another for synergy or adverse consequences, for example, control of one species might have positive or negative unintended consequences for others Developing integrated threat management that avoids unexpected consequences A range of and socially accepted tools and options is available for policy to consider for weed, pest and disease management Biodiversity recovery and freedom from disease threats is achieved at landscape scale Innovative institutional arrangements for conservation, social, cultural and economic value, including within production and urban landscapes Catalogue of new approaches evaluated against a range of performance criteria Evaluate existing and new approaches and apply lessons to of policy Examine the ‘leverage’ potential of treasured species to the communities that support them Incentives to support these new institutional arrangements that encourage protection and enhancement of biodiversity on private land while respecting private property rights
Examples of opportunities and outcomes for research topics Research topics Needs Basic knowledge Opportunities Practical application Outcomes Translation for policy and management Examples of types of knowledge needed to populate models, develop tools, and inform policy Examples of models, research approaches, or technologies that build on basic knowledge Examples of possible outcomes when knowledge needs and innovation opportunities are achieved to inform management and policy Understanding New Zealanders aspirations for the conservation estate and the environment How do New Zealanders perceive risks and trade-offs, and how do these views affect individual and collective decisions and actions? Identifying the values and understanding that individuals, communities, businesses, and consumers at different locations (international, local, urban, rural) hold for the environment and conservation estate, and translating to policy relevant decision data Understanding the factors (social, cultural, psychological, environmental, economic, institutional) and relationships that influence how individuals, businesses, and communities respond to interventions aimed at delivering environmental outcomes Traceability systems connect consumers and communities to environmental outcomes Systemic models of behaviour are used to test assumptions and identify key leverage points to target interventions and on key relationships Policy makers have tools to guide impact of interventions across a suite of stakeholder values Ecosystem services valuation Understanding values and services (including economic, cultural, recreational, health and well-being, physical protection, and social) provided by ecosystems in New Zealand to inform conservation and environmental policy and management Methodologies for dealing with comparison of differing values and accounting for intrinsic, spiritual and cultural values that communities and Māori do not wish to quantify Framework for engagement with mātauranga Māori Developing models and associated social processes that can provide a basis for a fully integrated assessment of potential impacts from interventions Improved tools that translate ecosystem services and natural capital applications into information used in conservation and environmental policy and management Communities are able to equitably take into account the range of values derived from the environment and to use this to assess the impact of interventions Land managers are able to cost their management impacts Identifying private actions and policies that can effectively improve environment related social outcomes Understanding the value proposition that private actions will be based on and understanding how that aligns with the anticipated outcomes A set of principles that can be applied to a range of contexts illustrating why, how and when private actions can be incentivised Incorporate principles into negotiations on public-private partnerships and design of policy that will target incentives that are aligned with private expectations Factors, engagement processes and governance approaches for effective Understanding the mechanisms, arrangements and Roles, functions and characteristics of organisations and Organisations will have a clear idea of their role and that of others
environmental and management? institutions that support innovation (collectively known as an ‘innovation system’) which deliver environmental outcomes, and the role and function of institutions (rules and norms) individuals and organisations in that system principles related to an effective innovation system documented and codified to collectively innovate, identify key gaps and misalignment and to design systemic solutions Citizen science, and of research, and effective communication of science Understanding benefits to the individual of participating in these research activities, behaviours, tools and processes that are required Global case studies to compare across a diversity of cultures and contexts to identify behavioural characteristics and processes that deliver optimal outcomes Allows for incentivising the types of behaviours that are best suited to co-development Findings facilitate informed citizen participation in environmental decision-making, and uptake of robust scientific knowledge and data for informing policy Learning from Māori experience and values to promote a more and sustainable approach to management of New Zealand’s environment Engagement with and inclusion of mātauranga with an interdisciplinary science culture land management activities with the Māori principle of keeping/increasing the ora (vitality) of life System-wide, sustainable management and outcomes Understanding pressures of increasing population and tourism numbers on the New Zealand environment including the conservation estate, and identifying effective responses Foresight studies that identify trends and potential related impacts. Scale and time need to be taken into account and address lag effects Build on international literature on systems Modelling to develop plausible future scenarios that can be used to explore and test assumptions and interventions Develop models of adaptive behaviour and associated institutions Robust information is available to test the validity of policy options and to identify key risks and build adaptive capacity to respond Current capability and strategic needs While human factors and economic dimensions are key factors in environment and conservation policy and management decisions, the capability in these areas is relatively weak. The number of researchers in New Zealand with experience and skills in socio-economic research on environmental issues is small compared to those with biophysical expertise. There is no Crown research institute dedicated to social science, and the current model of engaging a small number of social scientists within otherwise biophysical science-dominated Crown research institutes, and employing social scientists within government departments who have little control over their research agenda is not providing a complete solution. The National Science Challenges are starting to collaboration across institutions in research, but this is a slow and challenging process. Given the policy-relevance and importance of such research, there is a need to attract and employ more researchers with