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    Applying a landscape ecological approach and geodesign from a farmer-centric position to inform the creation of future multifunctional, sustainable agricultural landscapes : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Resources Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Tran, Duy Xuan
    In the wake of environmental challenges, it is important to improve the environmental sustainability of farm systems and landscapes whilst ensuring profitability for the farmers that manage them. This PhD study draws on theories from landscape ecology and geodesign to plan and design multifunctional agricultural landscapes from a farmer-centric position with sustainability in mind. A hill country and steep-land farm in New Zealand is used as a case study. A conceptual framework is proposed to guide landscape planning. The framework applies an ecosystem-based management approach (i.e., ecosystem services approach) coupled with geodesign at the farm scale. A comprehensive spatially explicit assessment of landscape multifunctionality and associated ecosystem services at the farm scale is carried out to understand the spatial variation of ecosystem services provision and how land use and land management goals of the landowners reflect the value and quality of landscape multifunctionality. Afterwards, spatially detailed variations in the relationship between landscape structure and the provision of ecosystem services is quantified to understand how landscape structure can affect the provision of ecosystem services in the farmed landscape. Finally, collaboration with the case farmers and application of different tools and models are carried out to generate future land use and management scenarios for the case study farm, visualise changes, and assess the impacts of future land use on landscape multifunctionality and the provision of associated ecosystem services and economic outcomes. This helps to demonstrate how the proposed approach can be applied to plan and design multifunctional agricultural landscapes that offer improved sustainability in the NZ hill country farmed landscapes. The results from the case study suggest that the proposed approach provides an effective solution for sustainable farm system design and that it can make an important contribution to advancing environmental management in New Zealand, as well as in other countries which face similar issues.
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    An evaluation of the conservation of New Zealand's threatened biodiversity : management, species recovery and legislation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ecology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2010) Seabrook-Davison, Mark Nicholas Hawdon
    It is only recently that New Zealand wildlife managers have become aware of both the taxonomic range of New Zealand’ indigenous biodiversity and the number of species threatened with extinction. The entire New Zealand archipelago has been described as a biodiversity hotspot; a term with both negative and positive connotations as although its biodiversity is unique and diverse, it has lost three quarters of its primary vegetation and much of its remaining endemic biota is in decline. This thesis evaluated aspects of New Zealand’s approach to the management of biodiversity with an emphasis on methods used in the recovery of threatened species. Possible solutions are presented that New Zealand could investigate to improve the delivery of species recovery. A survey was conducted amongst Department of Conservation (DOC) staff to investigate management tools available to them. Results suggest that inadequate resources, staff shortages and an overwhelming workload have resulted in a failure to achieve comprehensive recovery of threatened species. A review of New Zealand wildlife conservation legislation and a comparison with the USA Endangered Species Act 1973 and Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, suggests that a lack of dedicated threatened species legislation is hindering the effective recovery of New Zealand’s threatened species. The thesis concludes that New Zealand has the advantage of a large conservation estate but lacks an integrated national management approach to the conservation of its biodiversity. Considerable improvement of the management and recovery of threatened species can be achieved with the enacting of dedicated threatened species legislation. Keywords: Threatened species, biodiversity, biodiversity hotspot, conservation, management, recovery plans, recovery groups, Department of Conservation, legislation, threat classification system, listing, ecological function, ecosystem services, staff survey, New Zealand