Land resources
Paddock use mapped from remote sensing images of the Canterbury Plains. Image - Heather North
National Outcome: Achieve the sustainable use of land resources and their ecosystem services across catchments and sectors
Achieving this Outcome depends on research partnerships and sharing knowledge with end-user stakeholders: the national and regional government decision-makers – responsible for developing sustainable land use policies and regulations and making decisions on resource allocation; and the primary sector – seeking to enhance its environmental and economic performance. To meet the Government’s target of increasing exports from 30% to 40% of GDP, without compromising New Zealand’s ecosystem services or natural capital, it is critical that land use is matched with the land’s capability at much fi ner scales than has previously been possible. Our research focuses on understanding and documenting the status and health of soil, land resources and ecosystem services; and identifying best practices and opportunities for improving their management. Our capabilities in this area are complemented by strong informatics skills in accessing and analysing land information, mapping and geospatial visualisations, and making data directly accessible to widely-used management tools such as OVERSEERR. The National Land Resource Centre, the Productive Land Innovation Hub (the ‘Lincoln Hub’) and the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge are critical to realising such opportunities and ensuring growth is ‘green growth’.
