Image
Credit: Greg Lois Nunes

Restorative marine economies

Encouraging restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine spaces

Project LeaderDurationBudget
Drew Lohrer (NIWA) & Nigel Bradly (EnviroStrat)January 2021 – September 2022$900,000

Overview

Healthy marine ecosystems require a marine economy that is committed to ecologically sustainable practices – and long-term economic use of marine resources depends on healthy marine ecosystems.

We are investigating how to build restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal and marine spaces. 

‘Restorative economies' combine business activities and environmental restoration. They aim to foster new investments and business enterprises that reverse environmental degradation – instead of ignoring degradation or contributing to it.

Restorative economies actively seek to enhance the biodiversity and health of degraded ecosystems, going beyond the traditional economic concept of operating within environmental and biological constraints. 

There is growing interest in restorative marine economy practices from: 

  • Iwi, communities and individuals interested in restoring their local environment
  • Businesses aiming to reduce their environmental impact and increase their resilience through activity diversification
  • The sustainable finance sector and councils interested in using environmental credits to spur sustainability solutions and generate benefits in their communities

However, moving towards restorative marine economies require investment, new science and technology, altered practices and regulations, and new measures of performance.

This project will develop knowledge, frameworks and decision-support tools to enable restorative marine economies to emerge. In addition to developing investment propositions, we will develop proof-of-concepts using place-based research, and build the relationships and roadmaps required for the future of the sector.

Research Team

Drew Lohrer (NIWA)
Nigel Bradly (EnviroStrat)
Richard Bulmer (NIWA)
Fabrice Stephenson (NIWA)
Emily Douglas (NIWA)
Cerasela Stancu (EnviroStrat)
Sandra Cortes Acosta (EnviroStrat)
John Reid (University of Canterbury)
Jason Mika (Massey University)
Ann Smith (EnviroStrat Associate, ex CEO Toitū Envirocare)
Izzy Brown (EnviroStrat)
Tahlia Bridger (EnviroStrat)
Nick Lewis (University of Auckland)
Jenny Hillman (University of Auckland)

Related News

Seafood Magazine: Doing business by ‘doing good’ 28 Jun 2022Interview with: Eva Siwicka20 Oct 2021Marine indigenous knowledge crucial for solving global challenges9 Jun 2021Blue economy: core research topics13 May 2020

Related Events

Financing restorative marine economies: Insights from NZ finance and investment experts

Webinar: Protect our future - perspectives from the UN Oceans conference

Project proposal

781 KB | pdf

DownloadView

Location

This is a national project.

Tools & Resources

This project has produced or contributed to:

Te Au o Te Moana | Special webinar series: Blue Economy
Presentation
Webinar presentation by Nick Lewis, Nigel Bradly, Julie Hall, Matt Miller, Simon Milne, John Reid & Oliver Wilson, April 2022 (60 mins + 27 mins Q&A)
View
Encouraging coastal and marine restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand
Report
This report is a starting point in the development of knowledge, frameworks, and decision-support tools to enable restorative economies to emerge in marine and coastal spaces in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is part of a broader area of research on Blue Economy within the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge. Cortés Acosta S, Stancu C, Brown I, Bridger T (August 2021)
View
Protect our future: perspectives from the UN Oceans conference
Presentation
Webinar presentation by Sally Paterson (Live Ocean Foundation) and Nigel Bradly (EnviroStrat) August 2022 (20mins + q&a)
View
Waitī Waitā conference presentations
Presentation
The combined meeting of the New Zealand Marine and Freshwater Science Societies was held in November 2022, and research from several of our projects was presented.
View
Financing restorative marine economies: Insights from NZ finance and investment experts
Presentation
Webinar presentation by Cerasela Stancu (EnviroStrat) and Jason Mika (The University of Waikato) December 2022
View
Encouraging coastal and marine restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand
Summary
This summary lays the foundations for developing restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand marine and coastal spaces through a desktop review of existing literature and local and international restoration initiatives.
View
Embracing nature in business: Nature risks, opportunities and disclosures for positive impact
Presentation
Webinar presentation by Jane Diplock, Lilly Peacocke (EnviroStrat), Paul Rose (Ports of Napier), Hannah Strauss (Ports of Napier) and Sam Rowland (Sustainable Business Network), February 2024
View
Financing restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine and coastal space
Report
This report highlights opportunities and challenges in building restorative economies in New Zealand from the investment and finance perspective (August 2023)
View
Restorative marine economies: a framework for mobilising ecosystem-level investments
Summary
This summary explains the key concepts of restorative economies and outlines an impact investment framework to guide questions and steps when mobilising investment for restoration activities (October 2023)
View
Ecosystem service metrics for restorative marine economies in Aotearoa New Zealand
Summary
This summary details requirements for ecosystem service metrics that can guide restorative economies (March 2022)
View
Using ecosystem services to inform marine restorative economies
Summary
This summary explains how understanding and communicating ecosystem services can assist ecosystem restoration (September 2021)
View
Financing coastal and marine restorative economies in Aotearoa New Zealand
Summary
This summary gives the main points of a report on opportunities and challenges in building restorative economies in New Zealand from the investment and finance perspective (March 2024)
View
Utilising ecosystem services to support marine ecosystem management
Summary
This summary provides an overview of how ecosystem services can be used as a tool in marine management and ecosystem-based management (March 2024)
View
Utilizing ecosystem services to support restorative marine economies
Academic publication
Douglas E & Lohrer A (2024)
View

Related projects & activities

Image
Credit: Ōhiwa Harbour, Sustainable Seas
Ecological responses to cumulative effects
This project brings together mātauranga Māori and science to develop new knowledge about cumulative effects
More
This project has produced or contributed to
Image
Credit: Sustainable Seas 2020
Transitioning to a blue economy
We have identified which marine activities have the potential to help New Zealand transition to a blue economy – ie they are sustainable, resilient to climate change, minimise waste, and have positive impacts on society and culture.
More
This project has produced or contributed to
Image
Credit: Carolyn Lundquist 2020
Spatially-explicit cumulative effects tools
We are incorporating cumulative effects of multiple stressors (from human activities on land and sea) into decision-making tools.
More
This project has produced or contributed to