International research collaboration
Living roof technologies
Landcare Research is very well connected to global counterparts in most parts of the world. Our goal is to use these connections to enhance our science and leverage benefits for New Zealand.
China
Landcare Research has an ongoing collaboration with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (Chinese Academy of Science) at Urumqi, north–west China, and the Fukang Station of Desert Ecology in Xinjiang Province for research on (1) measuring and modelling carbon exchange for desert ecosystems, (2) the impacts of grazing management on carbon storage in vegetation and soil, and (3) various pest management issues. This year we also discussed collaborative opportunities with the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES) in Beijing, and hosted colleagues from the China Agriculture University to discuss collaboration for an early–warning system for rodent outbreaks in agricultural areas of China. One of the three priority action areas under the New Zealand and China Environmental Cooperation Agreement is the Management of Invasive Alien Species and Biodiversity Protection.
South America
Biocontrol of weeds:
Biological control of weeds staff regularly work with counterparts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia seeking potential biocontrol candidates for a range of weeds including Chilean needle grass, banana passionfruit, moth plant, pampas, Darwin’s barberry and tradescantia, and providing advice on biocontrol for their weeds such as hieracium and gorse.
Forest dynamics and invasive species:
This year, the Chilean Government’s science agency, CONICyT, established a formal research collaboration between the Corporación Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad and Landcare Research. This will focus on ecological issues that are similar between Chile and New Zealand, including the dynamics of similar forests (e.g. Nothofagus) , and the effects of invasive plants on ecosystems, again because many invaders (e.g. pines and Scotch broom) are common to both New Zealand and Chile.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions:
CONICyT also funded an initiative to foster research collaboration on measurement and management of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Chilean soils under different land–use and land–management regimes. We are working with the Institute of Agro–industries at the Universidad de La Frontera and the Institute of Investigation in Agriculture (INIA) helping develop their research capacity and helping them develop several research projects.
Beaver eradication:
Our Invasive Species International consultancy group has been working with the governments of Chile and Argentina and community groups on the feasibility of eradicating introduced North American beavers from Tierra del Fuego.
Poverty alleviation:
We are a key partner in a 3–year NZ$2 million project (with NZ$600,000 from NZAID) to improve and sustain the livelihoods of poor inhabitants of the high Andes in Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador. Our technical assistance has included a water resource inventory to improve water allocation and management; vegetation mapping of the catchments to understand how quickly the natural land cover and stored carbon are being lost; advising on likely impacts of climate; land use change; and options such as payments for ecosystem services to assist indigenous communities with land use and water planning.
Pest management in the Galápagos Islands:
Island Conservation, in partnership with the Galápagos National Park and Charles Darwin Foundation, is planning the progressive eradication of introduced rodents (Rattus spp. and mice) from islands in the Galápagos Archipelago. We were contracted by Island Conservation to assess the potential exposure of Galápagos tortoises, lava lizards, geckos and an endemic snake to the rodent toxin (brodifacoum) proposed for aerial application, and what the effects might be from ingesting it. The work is being used to refine non–target risk assessments and control strategies.
Pacific Island countries
We support New Zealand’s Official Development Assistance in Pacific Island countries by undertaking a range of science collaborations with the regional University of the South Pacific (USP) and other Pacific organisations.
These have included integrated catchment management to reduce degradation of coastal coral reefs, curation and data management of biological reference collections, environmental domains, bio–indicators of stream quality, economics of invasive species, and carbon inventory and accounting including carbon–based revenue opportunities.
Europe
Knowledge Based Bio–Economy (KBBE) Forum, Brussels:
KBBE is major theme for EU funding with collaborative work streams on biomaterials, food for health, and aquaculture. We developed a new work stream on sustainable agriculture, to be led by New Zealand, which was accepted by the Forum. This will accelerate progress on challenges such as nutrient scarcity.
We hosted an international workshop on sustainable agriculture with delegates from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the EU. The workshop identified a set of collaborative opportunities, and produced a communiqué for science, policy and industry organisations on the KBBE Sustainable Agriculture work stream to inform in–country research agendas and investment priorities.
USA
We are working with the internationally regarded Computation Institute (a joint initiative between the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory, both in Illinois, USA) to develop the MAF–funded Integrated Assessment Modelling project. Particular focus is on integrating economic and environmental modelling of forestry with pastoral and cropping agriculture in medium– or high–resolution spatial models. In future the model could be expanded to large countries/continents, and globally.
Global
Global Research Alliance:
The Alliance facilitates collaborative research on mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. About 30 countries have joined the Alliance, which was initiated and championed by New Zealand. One of our science team leaders has been appointed as a New Zealand representative on the Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling Cross Cutting Theme spanning the three focus areas: paddy rice, croplands and livestock.
The Global Soil Map:
The Global Soil Map (GSM) will use 11 key soil attributes to create digital models at 90–m resolution and to 2–m depth – surprisingly detailed for global maps. The project is very challenging technically and is only now possible given recent advances in digital soil mapping techniques and the recent availability of spatial prediction layers, for example the global 90–m digital terrain model derived from the Shuttle radar mission. Our focus in the Oceania effort will be the areas for which we have significant datasets — the Pacific Islands, Antarctica, and of course New Zealand. The international science committee of the GSM noted that Landcare Research has provided the first example of a 29 national planning methodology for operational mapping; it will become a part of the international methods manual.
Landcare Research also co–chairs the Cyber–Infrastructure Working Group within the project (with CIESIN, Earth Institute, Columbia University).
Biodiversity Informatics:
Landcare Research is recognised internationally as an active centre of biodiversity informatics. We are members of the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), an international group developing information standards that underpin data–sharing networks like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). We are the New Zealand node for GBIF, mobilising 1.6 million biodiversity records from our Nationally Significant collections and databases. At the global level GBIF facilitates the sharing of 300 million records from over 12,000 datasets.
We lead the New Zealand Organisms Register (NZOR), a multi–agency, first–ever digital census catalogue of species. NZOR is a regional hub for Species2000, a global project supported through €5.9m EU projects 4D4Life & i4Life attempting to complete the global Catalogue of Life. We are a partner in 4D4Life and a member of the Species2000 global committee.