Tussock grasslands should be assessed

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 14, 1 September 1987, Page 10

Tussock grasslands should be assessed

The value of this country's tussock grasslands must be assessed before it's too late, according to a report released by the New Zealand Environmental Council recently. "Organisations adminis-

tering tussock grasslands in future need more motivation, skills and resources to understand and protect valued areas," according to the authors of the report, Michael Ashdowji and piane Lucas. People attach importance to seeing and being in a tussock grasslands landscape, they said. "The landscape values of tussock grasslands are visual, cultural, ecological and economic. It is the relationship between these values that gives a landscape its special character and importance," said the authors. They reported that there is reason for concern over the future of tussock grasslands because of the scarcity of native grassland reserves, the on-going debate over ownership of tussock grasslands and the lack of knowledge on management strategies for conserving tussock grasslands. The visual and cultural aspects of tussock areas had not been systematically surveyed, they said. The authors claimed there were 2.75 million hectares of tussock grasslands in New Zealand, most of this existing east of the main divide in the South Island. The open, golden landseapes typical of tussock grasslands gave people a sense of wilderness which had inspired- poets, artists

and musicians over the decades, according to the report. ^As well as being a resource for recreationalists and tourists, tussock grasslands play an important practical role. They stabilise slopes, conserve water, break up snow allowing stock to feed and provide stock with shelter, said the authors. To avoid indiscriminate and unintentional change to these areas, the authors recommend that management guidelines for conserving particular types of tussock grasslands be established. As well as conservation of broadscale grasslands, they also encourage authorities involved in the management of tussock grasslands to actively provide runholders and others with advice on reducing the impacts of any proposed developments. Putting in tracks, buildings or woodlots without considering the landscape values in the tussock grasslands must be avoided, claim the authors. Agencies proposing developments or research programmes in tussock grassland areas should also be required to consider landscape values, they said. "More effective landscape planning and conservation controls need to be developed," recommended Ms Lucas and Mr Ashdown.