‘Co-Management’ - Agreeing Objectives for Protection and Restoration of Rivers to Meet the Needs of Indigenous Communities

摘要

This paper covers the Waikato River Independent Scoping Study (WRISS) undertaken in2009/10 to provide the foundation for a new era of co-management between the New ZealandGovernment and the indigenous people (Maaori of the Waikato and Waipa River iwi) of theWaikato region to restore and protect the health and well-being of the Waikato River for futuregenerations. Around the world, there are many studies relating to river restoration and protection.Some are at a catchment-wide scale, some use social science and some incorporate indigenousenvironmental knowledge. This study is unusual in that it has all those features, and the paper isa summary of the holistic approach which was taken, combining inputs and knowledge fromconventional science and indigenous sources and robust consideration of both measured andanecdotal data, in order to identify future pathways for the Waikato River Authority to considerunder the new co-management regime.