The new Fiordland marine management regime establishing unique local management for the South Island fiords' special environment will be launched today (30 July) in Te Anau by Environment Minister Marian Hobbs.

Fiordland's globally unique marine environment is recognised within the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act, passed in April this year. The new measures will enhance the sustainable management and protection of the area.

Marian Hobbs announced that the government had approved $3.4 million over four years to implement the Fiordland initiative.

Fiordland's marine environment will now have an advocate created by law, the Fiordland Marine Guardians advisory committee. This group of knowledgeable locals will be responsible for providing advice to management agencies and ministers on how the Fiordland Marine Area should be managed.
Seven of the eight members of this committee were previously members of the Guardians of Fiordland's Fisheries and Marine Environment group. This group has worked tirelessly for more than 10 years towards this day. It was the Guardians' draft strategy that provided the vision that led to the new management measures.

"This launch is a tribute to the dedication of the Guardians of Fiordland and the many others who worked so hard to make the Fiordland community's dream a reality," Marian Hobbs said. "The result is a good example of the community, local government, ministers and their officials working together to achieve an excellent result.

"The next two years will see the evolution of an entirely new partnership with much hard work still to do. I wish the new Fiordland Marine Guardians well, and assure them that the government and our officials are as committed to this new approach as the people of Fiordland and Southland."

Notes:

The members of the new Guardians group represent the various sectors of the marine area's users, including recreational and commercial fishers, scientists, the local iwi Ngâi Tahu, environmentalists and tourist operators.

Government agencies involved are the Ministry for the Environment, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Department of Conservation, and MAF Biosecurity along with Environment Southland.

The act:
·Recognises the local, national and international importance of Fiordland's marine environment.
·Creates the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area, encompassing 882,000 hectares including Milford and Doubtful Sounds.
·Creates eight new marine reserves, totalling about 9430 hectares, adding to existing reserves, and increasing the percentage of the fiords area in marine reserves from 1 to 13 per cent.

·Provides for the more effective management of ‘marine areas of special significance’, areas identified by the Guardians for their special and ecologically fragile features.

For more information, go to www.mfe.govt.nz