Finding a suitable framework for environmental reporting – a case of water quality in New Zealand
Abstract: Environmental Reporting is an important way in which the state of the environment can be assessed. In New Zealand, one of the most at risk elements of the natural environment is the freshwater, particularly freshwater quality in the Canterbury Region, on the South Islands east coast. This is due in large part to dairy farming, a huge contributor to New Zealand’s economy. The Driver – Pressure – State – Impacts – Response (DPSIR) framework is one that has evolved over a number of years from other, more limited frameworks. It is now used worldwide for reporting on the environment, particularly with regards to water quality. Literature from around the world has explained the frameworks evolution, as well as pointing out its strengths and its shortcomings. Various implementations of the framework have been suggested. In 2014 New Zealand elected to introduce a Pressure – State – Impacts (PSI) model to carry out its environmental reporting. This paper assesses the decision of New Zealand to implement a truncated version of the DPSIR framework, looking at its reasoning and the probable consequences of the decision. The study concludes that the PSI framework is insufficient for dealing with the water quality issues in the Canterbury Region, and that a DPSIR model with a pressure based orientation would result in stronger, more proactive decision making.
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