Application of the ‘natural flow paradigm’ in a New Zealand context

The natural flow paradigm (NFP) emphasizes the need to partially or fully maintain or restore the range of natural intra‐ and interannual variation of hydrologic regimes to protect native biodiversity and the evolutionary potential of aquatic, riparian and wetland ecosystems. Based on our studies of natural and managed flow regimes in New Zealand, we do not believe that all components of the natural flow regime are necessary to achieve the objectives of the NFP, either partially or fully, because many aquatic species have very flexible niches and life‐history requirements (i.e. there is ‘ecological redundancy’). Obviously, maintaining the natural flow regime will maintain the hydrologic and hydraulic conditions necessary for sustaining natural ecosystems. However, if there is adequate knowledge of what ‘values’ need to be maintained in a waterway, and the aspects of the flow regime that are required to maintain those values are also known, then regimes can be designed that target these requirements and thus optimize conditions for the ‘values’. We believe that an assessment of ecosystem requirements using information on river processes together with habitat requirements and life‐history strategies of biota can achieve the best balance between resource use and sustaining ecosystem function and value, and show examples where changes to natural flow regimes have maintained, or even improved, instream values in some New Zealand rivers. We caution that simple flow‐based rules, such as those that might be developed under the NFP, could be unnecessarily restrictive on multiple use of water in New Zealand while, at the same time, preclude the opportunity for enhancement of key ecosystem values in many waterways. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.