Stream Restoration: How Your Ecological Neighbourhood Might Influence Restoration Success

The majority of New Zealanders live in urban environments, and national and regional community surveys have shown that improving the state of our urban waterways and environment are high priorities. Similarly, increasing the state of rural waterways has come under close scrutiny in recent times. In all cases, typically we select a single catchment or part of a catchment or watershed as the unit of management. Aquatic ecosystems are valued, measured and monitored on this single unit and restoration opportunities are typically identified as small sectors within these larger units. Much less thought has gone into the inter-relationships of these selected restoration sectors both within and between catchments and the influence that neighboring waterways have on the success of rehabilitation. In this paper, the relationships between neighbouring aquatic ecological communities are explored and the relevance to catchment planning is discussed. In addition, the importance of regional vs local ecological values to achieving successful restoration outcomes is discussed with reference to urban and rural environments; and the role of neighbouring ecological communities in catchment management planning will be outlined. Recommendations for improving the likelihood of restoration success will be provided.