Protecting and restoring indigenous nature in urban landscape, a Christchurch case study

Abstract

Internationally, from 1850 to 1960 European colonization and urbanization transformed landscapes and removed urban nature. In the provision of public open space, cultural landscapes became the norm and protection of urban indigenous nature was seldom considered. In the 1960s the social and cultural values of open space included a change in attitude toward indigenous nature and the desire for contact with it. Environmentalists called for protection and restoration of natural landscapes in urban environments. This dissertation asks why and how we should do this. It takes into account examples of successful initiatives and compares these initiatives with two local Christchurch projects. The results indicate that contemporary understandings of ecology, social capital and social interaction offer new insights into ways that both human needs and the broader ecological framework of urban open space may be served. The natural landscape approach which arose out of the changed ethos of the 1960s was introduced to bring about a balance, to protect biodiversity and ecosystem processes. Its focus was on environments that supply the backcloth for everyday life rather than on landscapes that are part of the national heritage and which enjoy widespread protection. The benefits of these vernacular landscapes to human wellbeing, indigenous species and the ecosystem processes are many. People and communities have displayed a need to escape the built environments of the city and get back to nature. The recreational, scientific and biological characteristics of natural urban landscapes make them multifunctional and can be enjoyed by the diverse cultures and activities of the inhabitants of modern cities.

In New Zealand these changes were bound up with the concept of sustainability in which environmental and social wellbeing issues were incorporated into the notion of natural cities and the planning for biodiversity and protection of ecosystems. This approach offers the potential for large urban landscapes to be more natural but in a way that incorporates the diverse cultural values that people hold toward urban nature. There can be successful outcomes when natural and cultural initiatives are combined in open urban landscape restoration projects. Citizen involvement in planning and implementation of protection and restoration initiatives must be encouraged because of the ways it provides opportunities for public engagement and ownership, engenders long-term commitment, bringing about healthier environments and sustainable communities. Where the local community does not instigate protection and restoration initiatives, it is the responsibility of the local authority, under the Resource Management Act 1991, to educate and inform the public as to the value of natural urban landscapes.