Under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004, the regional NRM Board has responsibility for the Management and protection of land. According to the Act, degradation of land means any change in the quality of land, or any loss of soil, that has an adverse effect on water, native vegetation or other natural resources. The aim is to remind landholders that practices or activities undertaken on their land will not result in unreasonable degradation of land or an unreasonable risk of degradation of land.
When a potential breach of the NRM Act is identified, consultation with the landowner is undertaken to resolve any matter through voluntary action. If the landowner refuses to cooperate the Board has the authority to require the landowner to take whatever action the Board feels is necessary to address land degradation.