B-1 - Area 1, Coromandel Forest Park – Assessment of Environmental Effects 5 2.2 CULTURAL LANDSCAPE As is described in section 5 of the Overarching AEE, a description of the cultural values attributed to Area 1 by tangata whenua will be provided in Cultural Values Assessment ("CVA”) and Cultural Impact Assessment (“CIA”) documents currently being prepared, and which will be provided following lodgement of these consent applications. 2.3 THE BIODIVERSITY PROJECT AREA The Biodiversity Project Area shown in Figure 1 above comprises approximately 18,870 ha. It includes conservation park (15,800 ha), stewardship land (2,680 ha), marginal strip (34 ha) and local purpose reserve (Waihi Water Conservation Reserve, 376 ha). This area includes the Maratoto Block which in turn includes the 655 ha Otahu Ecological Area (discussed below). 2.3.1 Zoning The Biodiversity Project Area is in land administered by both the HDC and Thames Coromandel District Council (“TCDC”). The boundary between the two districts is shown on Figure 1 as “TA Boundary”. The portion of the Biodiversity Project Area in the Hauraki district is subject to: The Conservation (Indigenous Forest) Zone; Several Significant Natural Areas (“SNAs”); Several Heritage Areas; and Outstanding Natural Landscape (“ONL”) and Outstanding Natural Feature (“ONF”) Areas, shown on Map N2 of the Hauraki District Plan (“HDP”). The portion of the Biodiversity Project Area in the Thames-Coromandel district is subject to: The Conservation Zone; and An ONL. 2.3.2 Ecological Values The Biodiversity Project Area has not been subject to a comprehensive biodiversity survey, and knowledge about the ecological values of areas within its boundaries varies. In 1984 the New Zealand Forest Service reported that the Maratoto Block of the CFP was home to a variety of species of conservation concern including kōkako, Hochstetter’s frog, North Island brown kiwi, kākāriki, long-tailed bat, Rhytida snail and paua slug. Some of these species might still be present. Others might feasibly be reintroduced to the Biodiversity Project Area if pest numbers can be reduced to, and sustained at, low levels.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE2NDg3