Sustainable Management of Natural Resources - Research Paper Example

Sustainable Management of Natural Resources Sustainable Management of Natural Resources Introduction The Resource Management Act (RMA), 1991, is significant in New Zealand: the intention of its establishment was to promote sustainable management practices of physical resources such as water, air, and land (Peel, 2005). In other quarters, this Act is viewed as a controversial Act of Parliament, but the RMA has been effective in protecting these scarce natural resources through regional and district councils across New Zealand. Subsequently, the Act has attracted critic because the decisions enforced under this Act have had adverse effects on both companies and individuals and because others argue that it has failed to manage adverse environmental implications. One of the key issues embedded in the RMA is that statutory planning in line with the Maori culture in which stakeholders have to develop, protect, and manage the use of the physical or natural resources towards sustainability (Rowe, 2005). The Act also sought to serve the regulatory framework aimed at directing policies, setting environmental conservation standards, and help in the making of decisions under the RMA. With this, this essay will delve into the relevance of using RMA as a tool for promoting the sustainable management the physical and natural resources of New Zealand. Essentially, the essay will discuss the role of the environmental management agencies in the same country and assess the benefits and disadvantages of the existing environment management systems. Lastly, the essay will also propose environment management practices that are in tandem with the Maori cultural issues, which is in relation to the local communities in New Zealand (Charters & Erueti, 2007). 1. Overview of RMA: Principles The principles embedded in the RMA are elements of value to New Zealand and to the environment as it seeks to preserve the coastal environment, recognize customary activities and also preserve the historic heritage of this nation. The RMA also safeguards indigenous habitats and fauna and also advocate for the removal on restrictions on access to water bodies by the public. Further, Section 6 of the RMA also seeks to protect the Maori culture and their ancestral lands and also seeks to protect the natural sceneries and landscapes within New Zealand from environmental degradation. The RMA requires investors to seek resource consent from relevant authorities before the commencement of an economic project that is likely to have environmental impact (Anker, Olsen Rønne & , 2009). Further, RMA seeks to influence the effective use of energy and serves as a steward to the natural and physical resources of New Zealand. In addition, a principle in this Act is that it focuses on combating climate change and influences investors to focus on adopting renewable energy solutions as part of sustainable management. Upholding the quality of the environment is another principle that RMA seeks to accomplish intrinsic values of the New Zealand ecosystems. Therefore, this Act is the ground to which parties that may be affected by an economic activity may use when arguing how the same is likely to affect the environment. The implication of this is that the RMA safeguards the exploitation of the environment at the expense of economic progress hence focussing on implementing sustainable environmental strategies. Intentions The goal that sustainable management seeks to achieve through environmental management systems is to reduce the environmental and social impacts caused by the economic activities and promoting healthy surroundings without causing any environmental strain. The other benefit is that environmental management systems helps in influencing the society to work towards adopting sustainable culture and increase the life of resources through controlled usage of the same. Further, companies that abide by environment protection regulations also tend to receive preference through the ISO certification while regulators also tend to favour organizations that apply the principles of environment protection. The reduction in operational costs may be through minimal use of energy in manufacturing and can also spread to waste management and disposal of the same. In terms of economic benefits, an organization that abides by the regulations by environment systems tends to attract minimal liability fines, which can also increase its efficiency in terms of service and operations. This may give a company that applies the principles of environmental management systems an advantage over their competitors because of their application of standardized practices that tend to enforce market loyalty. Therefore, the enforcement of sustainable management as a business practice helps in assuring a business or organization of its long term viability to its market unlike companies that do not adopt the standardization requirements. Ideally, when an organization makes use of environmental management systems, it indicates its commitment to controlling the environmental effects while also influencing their performance and outputs. With this, both local and regional councils in New Zealand have been on the forefront of ensuring that companies implement environmental management systems as a mandatory practice in order to meet the environmental obligations. In this case, organizations that implemented the environmental management systems illustrate their compliance towards legislations on aimed at protecting the environment. Ideally, the requirements within the Resource Management Act tend to change meaning that those that have implemented this aspect tend to indicate their adherence to changes enforcement and their interest in applying sustainable management practices (Kausek, 2007). The benefit of this is that it helps when institutions apply for tenders offered by the councils as this gives a strong indicator that such a company meets the procurement requirements set by the various environment regulatory bodies. Essentially, the methods used in environmental management systems aims at managing spills, dust pollution, waste management and disposal, and increasing energy efficiency among a list of other benefits. The implication of this is that environment regulatory bodies such as the Ministry for the Environment and the Environment Protection Authority have been able to enforce sustainable management as much as they have experienced criticism during the execution of their responsibilities. On the other hand, organizations that abide by this practice also tend to market their brands more to the market as the market has become aware of the impacts of uncontrolled use of natural resources. This is applicable for both the existing and new customers that a company might have as this has the ability to minimize the effects of the environmental risks to both the environment and to the health of the public. In New Zealand, environmental management systems tend to vary across industries in order for them to be effective in achieving the desired results for the benefit of the environment. In this regard, EMS systems are applicable in the agricultural, manufacturing, and transport industries among a list of several other industries. On the other hand, these regulatory bodies have also experienced challenges and limitations in the process of implementing the Resource Management Act such as bureaucracy in which some companies may enjoy privileges that allow them to operate without factoring these requirements for protecting the environment. 2. Council processes Applicants In the enforcement environmental management systems, resource consent is a critical aspect which is the authorization to the use of natural or physical resources as stipulated in the Resource Management Act (Charters &Erueti, 2007). In essence, resource consent is the permission granted in order for the carrying out of certain activities that can be in violation of a city’s or district’s plan to be legitimate. Those charged with giving these consents are the consent authorities that are within councils, districts, or regions or under the Department of Conservation. Ideally, the obtaining of resource consent tends to be a process that assures consent authorities, the population, and the applicants seeking to acquire the same that the activity to be undertaken might have effects on the environment and also indicating ways in which the effects will be mitigated (Kausek, 2007). Considerations However, this may proceed as long as the organization in question takes the proper steps in mitigating the risks involved to an acceptable level. The key aspect is that an application has to be made to the relevant consent authorities and application has to be accompanied by an assessment of the effects of the proposed activity. After the application process, the requests can fall under the non-notified or notified category where the processing is public through notices to the parties that these activities may affect. In other cases, consent authorities may require that applicants seek written approval from the parties that these activities may affect as part of the resource consent process. Therefore, the four stages that the resource consent process may take are the pre-application where an organization has to determine whether they would need the consent before commencing operations, which makes the second stage to be the making of the application. In the second stage, the organization seeking to receive the resource consent can choose to engage or not engage in consultations with the parties that the activities may affect and involves the preparation of an assessment of the effects to the environment (Charters & Erueti, 2007). The third stage is the arriving at a decision phase in which the consent authorities may decide to seek the written approvals of the parties that the activities might affect or request for further information. Here, the consent authority might also defer the application process for applicants until it receives consent from other quarters as a way for the same to understand the proposal at hand. The last stage is the post decision aspect that highlights the commencement of the consent and the duration that it will last. This may also include the replacement of existing consents with new and revised ones in order to ensure than the individual or organization that has sought the consent makes effective use of the resource. In other instances, a consent authority may not rule in favour of an applicant, but at this stage an applicant may appeal the decision in an attempt to fairness after the dismissal of the same. As much as an individual or organization might have received resource consent under the Resource Management Act through consent authorities, monitoring of their activities is vital because the issuing of most of them tends to be under certain conditions. In this case, a consent authority may establish a programme or monitoring tool in which the details may be included in the resource consent issued. If the authority does not conduct the monitoring process, then may charge an annual monitoring fee aimed at helping in the incurring the costs of outsourcing other agencies to conduct this process. Diagram illustrating the process of seeking resource consent Yes No Yes Yes No No No 3. Critical evaluation In order for sustainable management to be effective, focus has to be on the issuance of resource consents at the local level because this allows for those seeking consent to undergo scrutiny as a way of protecting the environment. With this, the enactment of the RMA has been instrumental in promoting sustainable management of resources in New Zealand due to the regulation frameworks and resource consent processes. i. TeUku Wind Farm An example of the way in which RMA has promoted this practice is in the TeUku Wind Farm located in TeUku close to Raglan that produces 64MW of electricity through wind turbines (NZWEA Fact Sheet). Issues The location of the project is within a cattle and sheep farm in the Waikato region within the Wharauroa Plateau in which the red clay makes it prone to erosion and soil sedimentation. The transportation of the twenty eight wind turbines as each weighed 318 tonnes and stood 130.5m high hence requiring the use of huge trucks that were likely to destroy the raods that led to the areas where the turbines were to be erected. The challenge for the community was in how the wind project would have been able to control this, which also formed one of its focus in environmental control. Meridian Energy and WEL Networks received resource consent under the RMA in 2008 in which wind farming is considered to be a discretion activity. Mitigation The consent to building these turbines was after the developers agreed to build only the number of turbines allowed by the local council and also establishing mitigation measures for this project. The other condition for issuing the resource consent by the Waikato Council was the reduction of the number of metres of road that would lead to the turbines. Another mitigation measure for the project was the establishment of a walking and cycling path that would ensure that no heavy vehicles would go up to the turbines because this would influence the thrusting of the earth. One of the tracks follows on the Maori track that was essential for warriors when they conducted raids on Kawhia and the Waikato regions, which is one of the principles of the RMA for protecting historic heritage. The concern for the community was that the cranes would require a lot of earth works when erecting the turbines in which the company opted to optimize the road design hence reducing the impact to the environment. As a mitigation measure, the company built thirty sediment ponds and a hundred and sixty ponds as a way of cushioning the bulk of the earthworks and sedimentation because of the construction works. The other mitigation strategy applied was the hydro-seeding by covering exposed soils with hay to stimulate the growth of grass to prevent soil erosion. ii. Fontrra Tirau Issues The Fonterra Tirau diary factory received resource consent after explaining its intentions to put up a water treatment plant that would ensure that its liquid waste did not flow to the rivers in the Tirau region to meet the New Zealand Drink Water Standards 2000 (Thompson & Gray, 2004). Essentially, waste water disposal by Fonterra Tirau dairy is one of the issues that were raised by the community residing next to the plant as this waste used to drain into near by water bodies. Part of the responsibility of the RMA is to protect water bodies from pollution to which the community had a right to demand that the company take up responsibility for their waste and also in protecting the environment. Mitigation One of the mitigation measures that this company took in ensuring that they had lesser impact on the environment was that they established a water treatment plant within the facility that ensures that the waste water that may drain to surrounding water bodies does not contain toxic substances have nitrous contents. Fonterra took mitigation steps towards controlling nitrate and oxide loss and to also reduce the methane emissions to the atmosphere. This dairy company also pledged to involve researchers, Tirau council, DairyNZ, community groups and the government in ensuring that the sustainable practices that the company undertakes are in line with principles of this management system. This led to the establishment of waste water treatment plants across Fonterra’s diary factories in every regional council and getting involved in extension programmes aimed at implementing water conservation initiatives. As part of the resource consent issuance, Fonterra has engaged in steps aimed at protecting the Tirau environment especially on the water resources that were most affected by the waste water. iii. Escarpment mine (Denniston and Stockton Plateaux) The Escarpment Mine Project owned by Bathurst Resources had to apply for resource consents from the Council of Buller District, the Regional Council of the West Coast in which the company also had to arrange for access agreement from the Conservation Department. The project experienced legal battles form organizations such as Forest & Bird aimed at blocking the establishment of the coal mine that would have created jobs for over two hundred people and increase revenues for New Zealand (NZX.com, 2013). As a result, the resource consent process for the Escarpment mine project went through a challenging hearing process as the parties to be affected presented a heavy case and facts against the same. Issues One of the key issues that project posed was that it would have killed the wild life that resided in the plateau without the exception of the speckled skinks, fernbirds, the ground weta, and the West Coast green geckos, which were on the verge of distinction. The project would have also decreased the number of powelliphanta patrickens within the coal plateaux by at least 10% and also the loss of the original ecosystem within the plateaux through sandstone erosion (Gilbert, 2011). Another pressing issue was the project would have influenced the loss of a significant percentage of high value conservation land that was public in New Zealand. During the hearing of the project’s application, issues raised included the likely contribution to the climate change through coal mine emissions and posing a threat to the indigenous species within the region. This meant that the environment would be endangering because these activities were likely to have an influence on climate change, which is one of the critical environmental challenge facing the world. Further, the open mine field were also likely to be hazardous to both the community and workers hence explaining why Bathurst had to illustrate the mitigation measures that they were going to put in place (Forest & Bird, 2011). The issues also included the negative impact on the water resources and also on the ecosystem as this meant that animals would die because of polluted habitats. Mitigation The mitigation strategy applied by the mining company included the application of modern mining techniques that were likely to reduce environmental impact as compared to the old mining ways. However, the company received resource consent after agreeing to protect Flora and Fauna while also enhancing biodiversity programmes as part of its corporate responsibility to the environment. The agreement also involved the signing of an access agreement in which the community was to gain access to the area rather than the company sealing off the entire area that includes water bodies. 4. Conclusion As per the evidence presented above, the Resource Management Act of New Zealand has been significant in striking a balance between the protection of natural resources and maintaining profit margins through the various environmental management agencies. Further, RMA gives hope to individuals and companies that apply sustainable management as mandatory practices through the offering of resource consents issued by consent authorities that also act as monitoring agencies. In so doing, the RMA has provided an avenue for the establishment of projects that understand their responsibility to the environment and the social and economic benefits that they might achieve by applying the concept of sustainable management in their operations. References Anker, H. T., Olsen, B. E., & Rønne, A. (2009). Legal systems and wind energy: A comparative perspective. Copenhagen: DJØF. Charters, C., & Erueti, A. (2007).Māori property rights and the foreshore and seabed: The last frontier. Wellington [N.Z.: Victoria University Press. Forest & Bird Org. (2011). Save the Denniston: Ours Not Mine. Retrieved on 24 May from http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/campaigns/save-the-denniston-ours-not-mine#.U4CYhpjcG1s Gilbert, K. (2011). Save the Denniston Plateau. Forest & Bird. Retrieved on 24 May 2014 from http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/branches/west-coast/west-coast/save-the-denniston-plateau#.U4CYgZjcG1s Hall, C. M. (2007).Tourism planning: Policies, processes and relationships.Harlow: Prentice Hall. Kausek, J. (2007). Environmental management quick and easy: Creating an effective ISO 14001 EMS in half the time. Milwaukee: ASQ Quality Press. New Zealand Wind Energy Association Fact Sheet.The RMA consent process. Retrieved on 13 May 2014 from http://www.windenergy.org.nz/resources/for-developers-and-landowners/rma-consents NZX.com. (2013).Green Light for Escarpment Project. Retrieved on 13 May 2014 from https://www.nzx.com/companies/BRL/announcements/243992 Peel, J. (2005). The precautionary principle in practice: Environmental decision-making and scientific uncertainty. Annandale, N.S.W: Federation Press. Rowe, J. E. (2005). Economic development in New Zealand. Aldershot [u.a.: Ashgate Publ. Thompson, K. C., Gray, J & International Conference on Water Contamination Emergencies (2004). Water contamination emergencies: Can we cope? ; [proceedings of the International Conference on Water Contamination Emergencies: Can We Cope? held at Le Meridien Hotel, Kenilworth, UK on 16-19 March 2003]. Cambridge: RSC. Read More