Green infrastructure, ecosystem service and the enablers and barriers for implementation within wine-grape vineyards: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Natural Resource Management and Ecological Engineering at Lincoln University

Viticulture is often a monocultural, production-based cropping system that results in a loss of biodiversity, ecosystem services and resiliency within the agricultural system. Green infrastructure (GI) provides an opportunity for viticulturists to gain ecosystem services and increase biodiversity within their farming systems to reduce the impacts of this monocultural system. However, despite many studies on green infrastructure and the ecosystem services GI can provide, there is a lack of literature on the enablers and barriers for the implementation of green infrastructure in vineyards. This research project aims to address this gap with four main research questions; What green infrastructure is planted in vineyards and vineyard/wineries and where is it located? What private and public ecosystem services and disservices does the green infrastructure provide? What are the enablers and barriers for planting green infrastructure in vineyards? And finally, how might the amount of green infrastructure, and its associated services be increased in wine grape vineyards and vineyard/wineries? Nineteen vineyard owners and vineyard managers were interviewed from the Waipara Valley, New Zealand. These interviews used a semi-structured interviewing technique to explore research questions. During interviews cover crops, shelterbelts, nature conservation and insectary habitats were the most common green infrastructure components identified by participants. The ecosystem services that growers associated with each of these components varied in detail with production orientated services being the most frequently mentioned. This study finds that recognition of ecosystem services, access to knowledge regarding implementation, management benefits and consequences to farm practice, level of commitment to greening and access to funding are the core enablers and barriers for implementing green infrastructure in wine-grape vineyards. These enablers and barriers have implications for those aiming to initiate greening projects within viticultural communities such as certification schemes, government organisations and large corporates.