Much of our rare and threatened native biodiversity is found on private land. Private landowners are playing a crucial role in protecting New Zealand’s at-risk ecosystems and the native species that live in them with open space covenants.

National Priorities

A Statement of National Priorities was developed in 2007 by the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment to guide decision-making around biodiversity protection on private land. The four national priorities in the statement identify the types of ecosystems and habitats most in need of protection.

The Trust gives priority to covenant proposals that fall within the national priorities list.

National Priority 1

To protect indigenous vegetation associated with land environments (Defined by Land Environments of New Zealand at Level IV) that have 20% or less remaining in indigenous cover.

National Priority 2

To protect indigenous vegetation associated with sand dunes and wetlands; ecosystems types that have become uncommon due to human activity.

National Priority 3

To protect indigenous vegetation associated with “originally rare” terrestrial ecosystem types not already covered by priorities 1 and 2

National Priority 4

To protect habitats of acutely and chronically threatened indigenous species.