One ecosystem, one national park: a new vision for biodiversity conservation in New Zealand

摘要

The first New Zealand National Park was a gift from Māori, but subsequent management of National Parks has largely reflected a utilitarian European perspective. The Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 confers ‘legal personality’ on the entire Whanganui River catchment, recognising it as a ‘living whole’ that ‘supports and sustains’ the people. The Act is founded on holistic and long-term values shared by Māori and ecological science. During the three decades since the founding of the Department of Conservation in 1987, three major transformations in environmental thinking and practice are founded in similar values: (1) increased respect for nature as a community to which people belong; (2) cities as a major focus for ecological restoration; and (3) rapidly growing scale in landscape restoration. We build on these values and developments to propose the concept of National Park Aotearoa, a whole-of-nation vision for bicultural ecological restoration.