Scientists warn that we have a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity to act on climate change. Oceans, coasts, and wetlands are key to our climate transition. Estuaries, harbours and wetlands are powerful carbon sinks. These blue carbon ecosystems can generate carbon credits and reduce emissions. They also provide benefits to nature, communities, and economies, and Māori have legal rights and rangatiratanga in marine and coastal areas.
Right now, Aotearoa’s laws and policies don’t provide for Blue Carbon. But we are an island nation with a vast coastline. Our marine territory is 15 times our landmass. And most New Zealander’s live near the sea, making us vulnerable to climate change.
Governments around the world are developing Blue Carbon laws and policies, and advocates are already launching voluntary Blue Carbon restoration projects. We need laws and policies for restoring and protecting Blue Carbon ecosystems that are effective, robust, and just.
Over the next 5 years, in partnership with Ngāi Tahu, I will lead the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship research programme Blue Carbon Futures in Aotearoa New Zealand: Law, Climate, Resilience, generously funded by Te Apārangi – The Royal Society of New Zealand.
Image credit: NIWA.
Research team
Elizabeth Macpherson
Elizabeth Macpherson
Elizabeth Macpherson
University of Canterbury
Law
John Reid
Elizabeth Macpherson
Elizabeth Macpherson
Ngāi Tahu Research Centre
Indigenous development
Karen Fisher
Elizabeth Macpherson
Richard Bulmer
University of Auckland
Geography and governance
Richard Bulmer
Rachael Mortiaux
Richard Bulmer
Tidal Research
Ecology
Rachael Mortiaux
Rachael Mortiaux
Rachael Mortiaux
University of Canterbury
Law
Claire Burgess
Rachael Mortiaux
Rachael Mortiaux
University of Canterbury
PhD Researcher: Law and Society
Place-based studies
The legal barriers, enablers and risks of blue carbon restoration and management vary from place to place depending on land tenure arrangements, Māori rights and interests, and regional planning controls.
This Rutherford Discovery Fellowship programme will include representative place-based studies at different spatial scales to explore the various legal barriers, opportunities and risks of blue carbon.
The programme will also explore comparative case studies, to understand how blue carbon legal frameworks are being designed and implemented overseas.
Some place-based studies may involve in-depth engagement with local communities, and some may be more desktop focused.
Study locations TBC
Research outputs
New article about enabling coastal blue carbon in Aotearoa New Zealand
Op-ed about risks to Māori rights and interests from the fast-track legislation
Op-ed about risks to Māori rights and interests from the fast-track legislation
This article explores enablers and bariers for blue carbon restoration and management in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the role of government and the insurance industry.
Op-ed about risks to Māori rights and interests from the fast-track legislation
Op-ed about risks to Māori rights and interests from the fast-track legislation
Op-ed about risks to Māori rights and interests from the fast-track legislation
This op-ed highlights the ways in which the New Zealand Government’s proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill would enable the prioritisation of development interests over environmental and Indigenous interests, including in marine and coastal contexts.
New report on carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands
Op-ed about risks to Māori rights and interests from the fast-track legislation
New report on carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands
This report uses a Systems Thinking approach to describe the connections between actions of different stakeholders, and manawhenua, within the coastal-wetland carbon sequestration ‘system’, and highlights key actions and interventions for carbon sequestration to be considered in management of coastal wetlands in Aotearoa New Zealand
Recent related work
This article evaluates scale-dependencies in social-ecological systems and argues that scale-dependencies should be clearly identified as part of marine management and policy, in order to increase the success of ecosystem-based decision-making processes
This research project, undertaken as part of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, develops a research base for policy makers, Māori and stakeholders to navigate the legislative, policy and practice constraints surrounding ecosystem-based management and any changes required to enable it
This webinar explores key findings from the Sustainable Seas Policy and Legislation for EBM research project
This article highlights critical and timely opportunities in Aotearoa New Zealand’s evolving legal context to support an ecosystem-based approach across fisheries regulation, biodiversity conservation, environmental effects management, and Indigenous or customary rights
This article draws on comprehensive study of Aotearoa New Zealand's marine law and policy to analyse the challenges scale mismatches present for marine law and policy implementation and identifying key opportunities to better align marine law and policy to ecosystem scale dynamics
Radio New Zealand's Turning the Tide documentary explores the work of researchers, kaitiaki, and community members as they pool their knowledge and resources to improve the health of the seas around Aotearoa New Zealand
This article investigates the proposition that Marine Spatial Planning can be a tool to drive the EBM transition by analysing the ocean and marine governance transition in Kaikōura over the past 20 years
This research sets out concrete policy recommendations to ensure healthy outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand’s ocean and people
This research provides examples of legal enablers for ecosystem-based management in marine planning and policy
Funding
This Research programme is generously funded by Te Apārangi - The Royal Society and runs from 2024 – 2029.