Nature conservation strategies : urban design with ecological priorities

Abstract

Compared to many countries, New Zealand’s Low Impact Urban Design and Development programme is unique because in the last 150 years New Zealand’s landscape has been dramatically modified. Thousands of species of plants and animals have been introduced into what was a pristine environment. Exotic trees, shrubs and herbaceous species from Europe, Australia, North America and South Africa were much more favoured over the unfamiliar indigenous species. The reasons of this “favour” were mostly practical considerations and nostalgia for ‘home’ European plants. New Zealand has become home for more exotic organisms than anywhere else on earth. Today the protection and restoration of native biodiversity is task number one. That is why one of the key goals of the New Zealand Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LUIDD) programme is to protect and enhance native urban biodiversity. Many guidelines for creating swales, rain-gardens, green roofs and using street trees need new research that addresses this particular New Zealand problem.