Research@Lincoln
    • Login
     
    View Item 
    •   Research@Lincoln Home
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Masters Theses
    • View Item
    •   Research@Lincoln Home
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • Masters Theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Riparian management guides : are they meeting the needs of the interested public? : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Natural Resource Management and Ecological Engineering at Lincoln University

    Robertson, Miriam S. T.
    Abstract
    In New Zealand, there are many published guidelines about the management of riparian areas. The question needs to be asked, are these guides useful? This research thesis investigates the extent to which riparian management guides meet the needs of the users. This research also considers the importance of riparian management (with regards to the appropriateness of educational guides) in assisting practitioners and the interested public in the management of riparian areas. The main way of investigating this topic was with the help of discussion groups. Discussion groups were held with interested organisations. These groups fell into three categories; Urban groups, Rural groups and Interest groups. The groups were asked to define what would make a guide most useful and desirable to them under three major categories: 1) what the guide looked like, 2) what information was contained, and 3) how was the information accessed. An opportunity was also provided for any further comments. This information was used to create a list of the most popular criteria that existing guides and further publications could be examined against. Eleven criteria were identified as follows: Information should be available online; Have pictures; Include diagrams; Is simple and easy to understand; Contains how to and appropriate methods; Has a plant list; Considers maintenance issues; Identifies where to locate further information; How to contact experts; Is available in libraries; Is in booklet form. The availability of existing information was investigated and its suitability assessed against the criteria. A list of all regional, territorial and unitary councils as well as 'other organisations' that were regarded as sources of environmental knowledge were investigated to see how many had produced information on riparian and wetland management issues. In terms of sources of information, 'other organisations' produce the greatest rate of riparian management information, followed by regional/unitary authorities. Two guides from Canterbury best meet the criteria identified by the interested parties, for the Canterbury region. Each scored 10/11 and failed on different criteria. This led to the conclusion that riparian management guides in Canterbury, while obviously still having room for improvement, are very close to meeting what interested parties feel is most important. Finally, a prototype (model) based on the research is provided for anyone who might be considering preparing a riparian management guide.... [Show full abstract]
    Keywords
    wetlands; effectiveness; environment; communication; riparian; environmental management; water; sustainability; New Zealand; Canterbury; community; environmental publication
    Date
    2008
    Type
    Thesis
    Collections
    • Masters Theses [867]
    • Department of Environmental Management [1167]
    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    robertson_mnrmee.pdf
    Staff/student login to read
    Share this

    on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn on Reddit on Tumblr by Email

    Metadata
     Expand record
    This service is maintained by Learning, Teaching and Library
    • Open Access Policy
    • Copyright and Reuse
    • Deposit Guidelines and FAQ
    • Contact Us
     

     

    Browse

    All of Research@LincolnCommunities & CollectionsTitlesAuthorsKeywordsBy Issue DateThis CollectionTitlesAuthorsKeywordsBy Issue Date

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics
    This service is maintained by Learning, Teaching and Library
    • Open Access Policy
    • Copyright and Reuse
    • Deposit Guidelines and FAQ
    • Contact Us