Farm environmental planning
Research Status: Ongoing |
Bridge over the Sherry River at Bavin's place |
Introduction
The Sherry River Catchment Group is a landowner group within a sub-catchment of the Motueka River situated in Tasman, Nelson. Research has shown that some land uses and management practices have contributed to poor water quality. Landowners have determined to turn that around by bridging, culverting, riparian management and improved environmental planning involving all landuse types.
The Sherry River Catchment Group is important as a demonstation of landowner leadership that came about as a result of a facilitated, collaborative approach between the Science community, Council and landowners to understanding the findings of science. They also see the benefits of a catchment focus as a means to improve water quality, improved environmental planning and the value in sharing lessons with others across the region.
The Sherry River Catchment Project builds on a successful ICM project in which dairy farmers built bridges for herd crossings following a collaborative research project which showed that cow crossings degraded water quality in the river. Water quality has since improved but not consistently to swimmable standard. This project designs and begins implementing environmental practices agreed at catchment scale for further water quality improvement.
Research Approach
This project will implement a whole-catchment approach to helping landowners improve waterquality in the Sherry River Catchment. This involves trialling a collaborative approach to farm environmental planning for all productive land uses in the catchment, supported by scientific information from the Motueka Integrated Catchment Management research programme and 9 partner agencies. The Sherry is expected to become a Top-of-the-South demonstration catchment for collaborative farm environmental management.
Project steps are:
- Summarise approriate farm environmental planning and best management practices
- Develop template farm environmental plan
- Introductory Farm Environmental Planning Day with catchment landowners
- Compile plans into a Sherry River Catchment Action Plan and prioritise actions across the catchment
- Identify and docment circumstantial barriers that might affect adoption and implementation
- Explore the appointment of a community facilitator for riparian planting and weeding days involving the school and wider community, as acceptable, to encourage landowners with action plan implementation
- Planting trials that help to identify easy care riparian options suitable for the catchments like the Sherry River
- Organise a field trip in conjuction with Motuekea Integrated Catchment Management (ICM)Project researchers to show impacts of landuse on the wider catchment and actions to reduce those
- Report learnings
Research Results
Initial work has begun with development of a Landowner Environmental Planning template and a menu of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the initial field day held 26 October 2007.
BS0807.jpg) |
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Sherry River land uses August 2007 |
Sherry farmers discussion Oct 2005 |
Recent Publications
1.08MB
Recent Presentations
BMPs, BEPs and Guidelines
| Title | Description |
| Sustainable Management of Native Vegetation Areas in South Marlborough |
From manual: Guidelines for landowners to develop a management plan for the sustainable manage...More » |
| Information on key sustainable farming topics |
From website: A table designed to help find information/publications that are related to whole...More » |
| Soil Conservation Technical Handbook | The Soil Conservation Technical Handbook is a comprehensive collection of know how about soil conser...More » |
| Managing Waterways on Farms: A guide to sustainable water and riparian management in rural New Zealand |
From website: This publication provides background information about the sources, causes and p...More » |
| Sustainable Options: Farm Tracks––planning, construction and maintenance | A guide to planning, constructing and maintenance of effective farm tracks. One in a series of land...More » |
| Culvert Crossings | A guide to the proper construction of culvert stream–crossings. One in a series of land manag...More » |
| Sustainable Options: Care groups |
A guide to organizing a local land care group. One in a series of land management guidelines: ...More » |
| Clean Streams: A Guide to Managing Waterways on Tasman – Marlborough Farms |
From booklet: This booklet provides information about how to manage waterways to improve water...More » |
| Culvert and Bridge Construction Guidelines for Farmers |
From guide: These guidelines provide dairy farmers considering constructing a culvert or bridg...More » |
| Dairying and the Environment: Farm Management Issues |
From manual: The purpose of this manual is to provide guidelines to dairy farmers and their ad...More » |
| Dairying and the Environment: Managing Farm Dairy Effluent |
From manual: The purpose of this manual is to assist dairy farmers and farm management special...More » |
| New Zealand constructed wetland planting guidelines |
From NZWWA website: These guidelines provide basic guidance for treatment wetland designers an...More » |
| Making Dollars and Sense of Nutrient Management: 7 steps to success |
From booklet: This booklet has been developed as a practical guide to sustainable nutrient man...More » |
Primary Contacts:
|
Andrew Fenemor
Email Phone: 03 545 7710 More details» |
Institute Landcare Research |
Expertise ICM programme management; local liaison; resource management; hydrology and water resource management |
|
Barbara Stuart
Email More details» |
Institute NZ Landcare Trust |
Expertise Farmer liasion/facilitation, river monitoring, conservation |
