Category: IEM

Kia ora koutou,

This blog post isn’t going to look at any more IEM literature or analyse contemporary media. It’s the end of the road! Reflecting on my first blog, I surmised that IEM is “an approach that involves different actors and stakeholders all attempting to address complex environmental issues”. Which to be honest, wasn’t a bad first thought. Now I realise it is not quite so definable within one sentence.

This blog has reflected on some theoretical elements of IEM. I have looked at problem definition, IEM frameworks, barriers to IEM, and gifting and gaining. I then reflected on these elements in practice, where it has and has not been seen.

Writing blogs was a new concept for me. Historically, my assessments have encompassed academic reports and essays so blog writing was a new technique to learn. I have enjoyed the freedom (within reason) to choose what I can write about. Clearly I have had a mostly water-based theme, so hopefully, I am setting myself up well for future endeavours!

IEM popped up in one of my other papers this semester. I was fortunate to have to lead the class discussion on Integrated Water Resource Management, and with the resources provided by this paper, was able to confidently challenge my classmates. Perhaps IEM is everywhere if we just look hard enough.

I was hoping to analyse the audience I attracted to my blog, but unfortunately selected a domain that doesn’t give me that information. I’m sure if it did, I would be overloaded with engagement. Although weirdly enough no one left any comments…

Over the past 12 weeks, I have developed my understanding of IEM further, respecting the complexities of the process. IEM in theory sounds relatively straightforward, but in practice is not that simple. This paper has broadened my horizons, encouraging me to step back and first of all, define the problem before rushing to do anything else.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read. There is always more to learn.

Ngā mihi,

Charlotte

Gidday team,

The Stuff news article “Beef and sheep farmers call for limits to carbon farming” came to my attention as part of preliminary research for my group project this semester. Having since undertaken further research of published material, grey literature and contemporary media, I have learned more about this complex issue.

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is Aotearoa New Zealand’s main tool for reducing carbon emissions. The country has domestic and international climate change targets (Ministry for the Environment, n.d.) but the activities to reach these goals are having unanticipated effects. The primary reduction plan is through afforestation.

Massive land use change off the back of afforestation is predicted to negatively affect rural communities socially, culturally, economically and environmentally. The social impacts include reduced employment (BDO New Zealand Limited, 2021), loss of communities, fire risk and schools (Flaws, 2020). Cultural concerns include loss of indigenous biodiversity and challenges in finding ways to maximise return on marginal land, without compromising Māori values (EDS, 2021; Mercer, 2021). The economic impacts include loss of employment in the area and environmental concerns surrounding the alterations to indigenous ecosystems (Bellingham et al., 2022; Rundel et al., 2014), wilding pines, pests, and changes to catchment hydrology risk downstream from sedimentation loss and erosion when felling trees (New Zealand National Film Unit, 1976).

Sheep and beef lobby group Beef & Lamb NZ commissioned a report to validate the amount of land that has been or will be planted into exotic plantation species in the near future that is likely to make land out of pastoral production. This report identified that “a significant amount of productive sheep and beef farmland has been converted to forestry over recent years, reinforcing the need for limits on carbon farming” (Morrison, 2021). The large shift of productive land to exotic forestry has implications for other parts of the industry, such as processing companies and those supplying services. Beef & Lamb NZ are asking for the Government to work with the sector to introduce limits on forestry offsets.

There appears as though there is a disconnect between the policy space and the institutions at play. The discussion about what action Aotearoa should take, changes depending on who one engages with. Carbon farming is a complex issue that must be investigated using an IEM approach that takes a holistic view of the problem. Those partaking must appropriately define the environmental management problem (Bardwell, 1991), before setting adaptive goals with key stakeholders as it is important to critically analyse the issue from an interdisciplinary perspective. Those partaking must identify key process steps which will lead to IEM. Following an IEM-based process promotes effective outcomes.

Aotearoa’s carbon emissions and proposed solutions are complex. It will take a lot of collaborative, considerate, holistic and productive discussion and action to ensure future solutions are the best they can be for all involved.

 

 

References

Bardwell, L.V.  (1991). Problem-framing: A perspective on Environmental Problem-Solving. Environmental Management, 15:603-612.

BDO New Zealand Limited. (2021). Report on the impacts of permanent carbon farming in

the Te Tairāwhiti region. Tairāwhiti Economic Action Plan Operations Group. https://trusttairawhiti.nz/assets/Uploads/Impacts-of-permanent-carbon-farming-on-the-Tairawhiti-region-July-2021.pdf

Bellingham, P. J., Arnst, E. A., Clarkson, B. D., Etherington, T. R., Forester, L. J., Shaw, W. B.,

Sprague, R., Wiser, S. K., & Peltzer, D. A. (2022). The right tree in the right place? A major economic tree species poses major ecological threats. Biological Invasions. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02892-6

EDS. (2021, September 16). Carbon farming with pines bad for the environment. EDS.

https://eds.org.nz/resources/documents/media-releases/2021/carbon-farming-with-pines-bad-for-the-environment/

Flaws, B. (2020, June 14). Rural communities under threat from carbon offsetting, farmers say. Stuff. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/121720901/rural-communities-under-threat-from-carbon-offsetting-farmers-say

Mercer, L. (2021). Beyond the dollar: Carbon farming and its alternatives for Tairāwhiti Māori landowners. https://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10063/9443/thesis_access.pdf?sequence=1

Ministry for the Environment. (n.d.). New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme. Ministry for the Environment. https://environment.govt.nz/what-government-is-doing/areas-of-work/climate-change/ets/

Morrison, T. (2021). Beef and sheep farmers call for limits to carbon farming. Stuff. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/125958601/beef-and-sheep-farmers-call-for-limits-to-carbon-farming

New Zealand National Film Unit. (1976). The Erosion of Our Land. www.Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjXJhQuPQfU

Rundel, P. W., Dickie, I. A., & Richardson, D. M. (2014). Tree invasions into treeless areas: Mechanisms and ecosystem processes. Biological Invasions, 16(3), 663–675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-013-0614-9