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Oceans Legally protected areas
Coastal Biogeographic Regions Classification
A biogeographic region is an area defined and classified according to visible ecological patterns and the physical characteristics of a geographic or hydrographic area. New Zealand is divided into 14 coastal biogeographic regions.
Mainland coastal biogeographic regions
By convention, mainland coastal biogeographic regions refer to all biogeographic regions in New Zealand except the Subantarctic Islands and Kermadec Islands Biogeographic Regions.
The Coastal Biogeographic Regions Classification can be used for assessing the health of the coastal marine environment, planning associated with marine protected areas, and reporting on the extent of marine reserves by ecosystem type within the territorial sea.
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Three ecological classifications are used to report on New Zealand's marine environment.
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Last updated: December 2008
