New council connections through Envirolink - taking science into policy
This year the Government introduced Envirolink, a fund administered by FRST to link science providers with local government agencies. The fund helps ensure that environmental research results add value to council processes and outcomes and aids the flow of information and assistance from researchers to councils. The first year’s funding went to selected regional councils and territorial authorities with a relatively low rating base, and hence limited funds, that may not be able to customise results for application to their particular needs.
So far funding has been distributed to a large number of discrete advice projects. Because these currently focus on environmental issues, NIWA and Landcare Research have been the key science providers, although many others also contributed. Where applicable, CRIs have worked together to ensure best results.
The advice projects do not involve new research. They are strictly for the transfer and customisation of existing research results, sometimes the results of years of research. Envirolink enables the uptake of those results.
So what advice does Envirolink cover and what tools can be provided? The advice may have a biosecurity fl avour; for example, it may concern the control or eradication of Argentine ants. Should the ant reach its full potential distribution, the cost to our economy of treatment could be NZ$68 million per year7. Another example is learning to identify and manage erosion-prone areas in flood-hit parts of Manawatu. This can help minimise the economic and environmental, not to mention the social costs of landslides, especially those associated with floods. The total annual cost of erosion impacts in New Zealand has been estimated at $126 million8 .
This year through Envirolink we have worked on 30 “advice” projects for nine councils. The ability to work together on these projects has had various collateral benefits. Local authority staff have gained skills in key issues facing their council. Relationships have been forged between councils and science staff that will assist in knowledge transfer in the future.
In addition to the advice projects, aimed mainly at individual councils, the fund enables “tools” projects. These are decided by a steering committee representing all regional councils and territorial authorities. Tools projects are larger projects that may involve a research and development component; for example the provision of models or databases.
Envirolink has been in operation since 1 December 2005. In the first 6 months of operation it approved 145 advice grants and allocated 85% of the $1.1 million available in the first financial year. The nine participating trial councils have been quick to embrace the scheme and through FRST have contracted Landcare Research on topics ranging from advice on gravel extraction in rivers, pest control, conservation and urban development to the protection of scarce terrestrial biodiversity values.
All councils have welcomed the ease they now enjoy in being able to contact Landcare Research and other providers for expert advice. They are finding considerable benefit in being updated on new information from FRST-funded research programmes, and this new knowledge is giving council staff more confidence in dealing with resource consent applications and setting council policy. Landcare Research, for its part, has responded very positively to the technology transfer opportunities that Envirolink has created, and the strengthened links with regional councils should benefit all parties, as well as the environment.
Bill Dyck,
Envirolink Coordinator
Before Envirolink there was often a void between researchers and those councils that could have used their information on environmental issues. Now there is a mechanism to ensure research is transferred and that the value of the science is truly realised.
7 The potential economic impacts of the Argentine ant in New Zealand: treatment expenditure. MAF 2002.
8 Muddied waters: estimating the national economic cost of soil erosion and sedimentation in New Zealand. Krausse MK, Eastwood C, Alexander RR 2001. Landcare Research, Lincoln.
| Talk to us | Funding |
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| Cynthia Cripps Tel 03 321 9642 
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FRST |
IRAP – down-to-earth facts on groundwater
Excellent progress is being made on a software tool that will help predict the effects of land use changes on groundwater.
IRAP – Integrated Research for Aquifer Protection – is a 6-year collaborative project between Landcare Research, Crop & Food Research, AgResearch, Dexcel, ESR, Lincoln Environmental, Aqualinc and Environment Canterbury.
IRAP will spatially depict the state of water quality from the plant to the aquifer, with a key focus on nitrate transportation from agricultural land uses to groundwater on alluvial plains. This unique overview will aid council decisions on whether to allow continued land-use intensification, and can show where any potential problems may arise.
Landcare Research’s main role is in developing AquiferSim, a feature that allows three-dimensional estimation of long-term effects on water quality. A prototype of AquiferSim was developed during the year.
Funding: FRST, Environment Canterbury, Environment Waikato
www.irap.org.nz
Hobsonville site a high-flyer in sustainable development
Landcare Research scientists are working closely with the Hobsonville Land Company and consultants Boff a Miskell on concepts and physical design for an ambitious project to redevelop the former Hobsonville aerodrome site in Waitakere City. The proposed development will create a complete settlement with new homes, employment and retail opportunities. A key feature of the work has been creating a framework for assessing the sustainability of the proposed development using four “spheres”: environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability. Researchers are devising measurable indicators for each of the four spheres, to help ensure that the outcomes of Hobsonville designs will be more sustainable than conventional development. The targets are compared with local, national and international standards wherever possible, to give an idea of how the development stands in relation to comparable projects.
Funding: Hobsonville Land Company
In my view sustainable urban development is driven by societal expectations, good business sense and corporate governance. The stewardship role of a Crown-owned agency, such as the Hobsonville Land Company, provides the opportunity to meet those expectations.
Inherent in the urban design and best-practice objectives underpinning the proposed development are the primary targets of more efficient land use and integrated public transport.
Other benefits, such as the quality of amenity, recreational spaces, conservation and protection of the environment, are increasingly being sought after by people when they choose where to live.
In terms of business, the market is a very powerful influence and if it can be combined with reducing the impact of development, then it will encourage others to also act responsibly.
The scale of the Hobsonville project enables a number of proven and leading-edge design and engineering technologies to be brought together. This is where input from experts such as Landcare Research is essential to explore what is both possible and deliverable.
Sean Bignall,
CEO, Hobsonville Land Company