Oceans Management in a Changing Climate: Otago oceans reform case study

This report examines management challenges for the Otago coastal area, which is home to Ngāi Tahu, and has extraordinary marine biodiversity due to its unique bio-physical characteristics. Several endemic species are now threatened with extinction. The area is subject to some of the most intense ocean warming experienced anywhere in the country, and keystone species such as bull and bladder kelp are suffering badly, with likely cascading impacts for other marine life. The impacts of climate change are more extreme, than would otherwise be the case, because they overlay existing pressures on the marine environment including sedimentation and the impacts of fishing activity.

The future health of Otago’s coastal marine area will depend on the implementation of an integrated strategy that effectively deals with these cumulative pressures. This could be achieved through the collaborative development of an integrated marine spatial plan or similar which could be undertaken under the auspices of the Otago Biosphere Reserve should that proceed.