Management and conservation of seagrass in New Zealand: an introduction 

Turner, S., Schwartz, A-M. 

2006 

Department of Conservation 

 

Government document 

Globally, seagrass management and conservation have received increased attention over the last decade. To date, however, there has been a paucity of available information specific to New Zealand about seagrass beds as an ecosystem component and which could be used to assist resource managers in decision making. This report has been prepared primarily for coastal resource managers, to assist in the management and conservation of seagrass. It provides a review of the current state of knowledge in New Zealand, within the context of international seagrass research. There are some key characteristics that set New Zealand seagrass habitat apart from many temperate and tropical systems. In New Zealand, the seagrass flora is represented by one genus, Zostera, in the family Zosteraceae. Seagrass occurs predominantly intertidally in New Zealand, although it may extend into the shallow subtidal areas of sheltered estuaries, and permanently submerged beds of seagrass have been recorded around a small number of offshore islands. While a lot is known about seagrasses in other regions, the role that these plants play and just how important they are in estuarine and coastal ecosystems in New Zealand is less well understood and to date has been the subject of limited study. The relative importance or magnitude of the multiple ecosystem functions of seagrass beds may vary considerably within and between different estuarine and coastal systems. For successful management, a specific understanding of seagrass ecology within New Zealand is required, preferably at the regional or estuary scale, rather than relying on international paradigms. 

Biodiversity, Fisheries 

Seagrass, New Zealand, Zostera, biology, ecology, anthropogenic stressors, threats, monitoring seagrass, ecosystem health 

TurnerSchwarz2006Mgmt_Conservation_seagrass_in_NZ.pdf