Private and public economic impacts of coastal wetland preservation : an ecological economic review of State Environmental Planning Policy No.14 - New South Wales North Coast

Michael J Brennan

Wetlands are one of the most complex ecological systems, being the juxtaposition between the two largest resources on earth - land and water. Similarly, economic valuation of wetlands is also a complex, and often controversial, undertaking being dependent upon, yet limited by, the state of the art in three fields: science, economics and politics. This thesis examines the economic, political and social outcomes of State Environmental Planning Policy No. 14 - Coastal Wetlands, (SEPP 14) 1985 in the State of New South Wales. This examination is achieved by analysing the impact of SEPP 14 from a variety of perspectives, based on theoretical, empirical and survey research. It presents a critical analysis of the real costs and the cost-bearers of asset transfers resulting from resource-based conservation policies and challenges the conventional thinking of conservationists, politicians, public officials and others. The SEPPl4 planning instrument, based on ecological (scientific) criteria, transferred specific freehold property rights from landholders to the community, without a public consultative process, nor consideration of landholders' ability to pay thereby ignoring corresponding social and economic factors. As SEPPl4 has been followed by similar legislation over the past 15 years, it provides a valuable longitudinal time frame for investigating private/public property rights conflict arising from conservation of natural resources. This holistic approach identifies four main stakeholder groups directly associated with its implementation - landholders, enforcement agencies, government and tl1e broader community - as well as associated outcomes arising from government intervention. Owing to the historically short time period of 15 years in which these conservation developments have occurred, governments' reversal of 150 years of land use policy has resulted in conflict between landholders and the proponents of wetland conservation strategies. Unlike most inquiries of this type, which focus on specific elements, a broad scope and coverage of topics associated with the economics of SEPPI 4 coastal wetland policy were examined; previously unavailable material has been synthesised and placed in an analytical format. Being the first known economically based review of SEPP14, this thesis commences by over-viewing the historical evidence of coastal wetland land management and the emergence of resource-based planning instruments extending along the State's east coast. The thesis more specifically examines the northern NSW coastal zone extending from the border of New South Wales and Queensland south to the Newcastle region. A major outcome of the research is to formulate the concept of 'custodial taxation' which is assessed in terms of equitable and economically efficient management of environmental resources. Custodial Taxation theory can provide policymakers with an improved understanding of the benefits and costs implicit with inter-generational bequest issues (passing of environmental benefits from one generation to another) based solely upon property rights transfers, entirely dependent upon ecological criteria. Other results from this work includes: § The advancement of the application of held and assigned values to wetland attributes resulting in a detailed understanding of the composition of SEPP14 wetlands. These values were reviewed in tem1s of physical characteristics, enabling comparative analysis between wetlands. § Application of evaluation methods to determine community-landholder equity and economic outcomes from the form of conservation planning under SEPP14 and identification of the reasons for conflict after nearly fifteen years. § Improvement of administration and management efficiency through examination of recognised wetland evaluation and valuation systems for judicial and bureaucratic assessment procedures as this economic analysis suggests that the current policy is economically inefficient and ecologically ineffective. § Preparation of individual site management plans to replace the present 'blanket' command and control system and to provide consistency with Native Vegetation Protection Act (1997) in association with increased public participation, by all stakeholders, in conservation policy development. § Unification of wetland ecological functions and sustainability policies, determining critical size requirements for specific ecosystems, contiguous land requirements and potential relationships with constructed wetlands.

Private and public economic impacts of coastal wetland preservation : an ecological economic review of State Environmental Planning Policy No.14 - New South Wales North Coast

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Private and public economic impacts of coastal wetland preservation : an ecological economic review of State Environmental Planning Policy No.14 - New South Wales North Coast

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