Sustainable development and conservation of biological heritage in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to encourage greater attention by planners to conservation of native or indigenous biodiversity. It explains what is meant by indigenous, or native, biodiversity and why indigenous biodiversity conservation must become an on-going consideration for Australian and New Zealand planners in future. It outlines some recent national and international policy developments which provide the justification for planning involvement, and discusses some examples of biodiversity provisions in recent plans within New Zealand. It suggests some of the limitations of traditional planning approaches as they relate to biodiversity conservation and explains why planners have an important role to play, particularly in the context of local and regional government. Although the discussion rests heavily on recent experience of planning of biodiversity within New Zealand, the ecological trends within Australia, as well as policies at the federal government level suggest that conservation of biodiversity is as important for planners within Australia as those within New Zealand.