Te Waihora / Lake Ellesmere: state of the lake and future management

Abstract

Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere is a large coastal lake, intermittently open to the sea. It is highly regarded for its conservation and related values, some of which are of international significance. Its function as a sink for nutrients from its large predominantly agriculturally based catchment, currently undergoing accelerated intensification, is also recognised, at least implicitly. It is the resulting conflict from these value sets which is mainly responsible for the ongoing debate about the future of the lake. This book serves to quantify the nature of this debate by documenting changes to lake values, both over time and spatially. It provides a standardised approach to reporting these changes, set against indicators that are value-specific. Ultimately, it provides a template for thinking about future management scenarios for the lake and its environs. Given this approach the book ultimately serves as a resource for helping understand the ever-changing and current and possible future states of the lake, under a variety of management requirements and implications.