Regional Estuary Monitoring Programme (REMP)

Estuaries are among the most productive, diverse and ecologically important environments in the Waikato region. They provide habitat for a diverse range of organisms including invertebrates, fish, birds and estuarine plants. Estuaries also function as a natural buffer between the land and sea, filtering sediment and contaminants from catchment water before it enters the coastal zone. In addition to these important ecological functions, estuaries are greatly valued by humans for cultural and recreational activities. Estuaries, their fringes and their catchments are also heavily utilised for forestry, agricultural, industrial and residential purposes. These uses can potentially result in degradation of estuarine habitat through mechanical disturbance, changes to water quality and the introduction of terrestrial sediment and contaminants. The degradation of habitat will in turn have implications for estuarine organisms and the important ecological functions they perform.

Intertidal sand and mud flats occupy large areas of the many harbours and estuaries that occur within the Waikato region. The sediment-dwelling organisms that occur on intertidal flats are essential to the overall functioning of estuarine ecosystems and provide a variety of ecosystem goods and services such as shoreline stabilisation, nutrient regeneration, carbon sequestration, filtration and detoxification of polluted waters and food resources to invertebrates, fish, birds and humans. Intertidal flats also have significant recreational and cultural value to humans as they facilitate activities such as gathering seafood and provide space for boating, fishing and waterskiing and sheltered beaches for swimming and relaxation. In many coastal communities, the goods and services provided by estuarine organisms and the habitats in which they occur underpin tourism and commercial activities (e.g. aquaculture) and are therefore drivers of the local and regional economy. Unfortunately, the estuarine sand and mud flat habitats and associated biological communities have been identified as being highly vulnerable to the pressures and disturbances associated with human activities. Accordingly, the maintenance and management of intertidal flats and particularly the ecosystem goods and services provided by the natural infrastructure of the estuary and catchment is a high priority.