Podcast: A Longitudinal Study into Local Responses to Recreation Resource Management for the ‘Conservation Economy’- from ‘Social Good Cost’ to ‘Economic Investment’

Abstract: The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) Statement of Intent 2009-2012 explicitly adopts – for the first time – the central premise “…that conservation is an economic investment, not simply a ‘social good’ cost…” because “…sound management of our natural areas produces the life-sustaining ecosystem services on which our lifestyle and prosperity depend.” The key imperative of the Statement of Intent is to give meaning to the term, ‘the conservation economy’, by achieving social, economic and environmental gains from “…the interdependencies between nature’s systems, social systems and the economy.” In this context, the Crown’s 2008 purchase of the 78,000 hectare St James Station in North Canterbury for $40 million, supported by further investment in the construction of one of the Nga Haerenga/National Cycleway trails, represents a major investment in the ‘conservation economy’. The new St James Conservation Area provides a rare opportunity for research: to record the transition of an iconic, previously inaccessible area of the South Island high country from extensive pastoralism to relatively intensive recreational use, and the challenges this new operational model presents for recreation resource management and the local gateway community of Hanmer Springs. This seminar describes a longitudinal study of this transition, presents the preliminary base-line findings from the first year, and provides an initial overview of the implications of the St James Conservation Area for the local conservation economy.

Biography: Jeff Dalley is an Associate Director of NZTRI’s Health & Wellness Research Programme Area, is a visiting lecturer at AUT, and resides in Hanmer Springs. Jeff has over thirty years of experience owning and operating hospitality and tourism businesses throughout New Zealand, including ecotourism activities on the conservation estate. He is a keen mountain-biker, and the St James project allows him to combine his recreational and research interests in a stunning part of the

New Zealand back-country.

Audio File: 

Jeff Dalley.mp3