A survey last year asked people what was important to them on West Coast conservation lands and waters. Photo: LDR / Lois Williams (file)Work on the West Coast's long-awaited new conservation management strategy is officially on hold - pending new laws controlling what can and can't be done on public conservation land. The Department of Conservation, Poutini Ngāi Tahu and the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board had almost reached the point of public consultation on a new draft conservation management strategy (CMS). That meant requirements for planning documents like the CMS were likely to change, Doc's West Coast operations director Owen Kilgour said. "Together with Poutini Ngāi Tahu and the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board, we have decided to pause the CMS review until we have more clarity on what future planning documents will look like."