A review of environmental values for New Zealand biosecurity risk assessment

Biosecurity refers to keeping the environment free of unwanted organisms and controlling, managing or eradicating them should they arrive in the country. The New Zealand government allocated approximately $545 million for biosecurity in 2018/19, an amount considered low relative to the economic, ecological and social benefits of maintaining the environment’s isolation from pests and diseases (Baisden, 2019; New Zealand Treasury, 2020). The Biological Heritage National Science Challenge Strategic Outcome 3 (BHNSC-SO3), “A values-based biosecurity risk assessment framework for Aotearoa” – is a four-year (2020 to 2024) multidisciplinary research programme, that aims to develop a holistic risk assessment framework that incorporates environmental, socio-cultural and Te Ao Māori values alongside economic values. This project is part of BHNSC-SO3 which focuses on a systematic literature review of studies that assessed the non-market environmental values provided by on-going and developing biosecurity programmes around the world and in New Zealand.