Inspired by discussions at the 2024 Australian National Biodiversity Offsets Conference in Canberra, an opportunity to further the discourse regarding freshwater offsetting in Australia with lessons and approaches from Aotearoa/New Zealand was identified.

The Stream Ecological Valuation (SEV) and its Ecological Compensation methodologies, originally developed in 2006 by Auckland Council in collaboration with leading freshwater ecologists, were designed to consistently quantify the ecological value of rivers and streams to inform resource management decisions.

Since its development, the SEV has undergone reviews, been through environment court and undergone revisions to enhance its robustness and adaptability for use across New Zealand’s regions, including the use on intermittent streams. It is one of the key tools ecologists in New Zealand use to calculate tradable offsets in the ecological effects management space.

In recent years, the SEV and its related ecological compensation methodology have continued to evolve:

• It has become the foundation of New Zealand’s first Biodiversity Offset Credit Scheme, the Healthy Waters Haumanu Programme.
• An overview of the recent research that examined establish offset site and compares the predicted scores against the current SEV scores.
• Further revisions of the SEV are currently underway.

Meet the speakers

Connor Whiteley | Associate Ecologist, Beca NZ

A dynamic, innovative and results-driven environmental professional with over 11 years of experience in ecological and environmental science. With a proven track record in both consultancy and regulatory roles, I have successfully led numerous ecology investigations and technical assessments across a variety of multidisciplinary projects. As the former lead freshwater ecologist at Ecology New Zealand, later as the freshwater ecology specialist at Auckland Council', and now as the Ecology Team Lead at Beca, I have demonstrated expertise in assessment of ecological effects and management, including the use and development of complex ecosystem models. My projects have involved collaboration with district and regional councils, as well as government agencies, showcasing my ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders. Currently serving as the President of the New Zealand Chapter of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, I am deeply passionate about driving positive change within the environmental industry, with the institute 2024 focus being on Nature Positive.

Mark Lowe | Principal Environmental Scientist at Morphum Environmental

My role as the Principle Environmental Scientist at Morphum sees me leading the technical and business growth of Morphum in the areas of science, sustainability and environmental management. I promote excellence by fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and innovation with staff and clients.
My skills include:
• A strong analytical ability and proactive problem solving
• A naturally collaborative and pragmatic style
• The ability to readily find a path through complex or opposing ideas
• Leadership of multidisciplinary teams to achieve solutions that benefit multiple stakeholders
• Streamworks consenting, freshwater policy and biodiversity offsetting

This event will run off Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).

Thank you to our event sponsors

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