Earlier innovation stories
Our Core Purpose is to drive innovation
Aerial 1080 poisoning for possum control
Dramatic reductions in the amount of 1080 used for possum control have come about through Landcare Research work in the last 15 years, as outlined in this 2007 case study for the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU).
carboNZero certification - 'greening' our trading future
Landcare Research's scientifically robust carboNZero programme is helping environmentally focused New Zealand organisations achieve a market edge, as this 2008 case study for the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU) explains.
Land Environments of New Zealand - improved methods and tools for ecosystem conservation and management
Goal 3 of the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy aims to halt the decline of indigenous biodiversity by (a) maintaining and restoring a full range of habitats and ecosystems and (b) maintaining and restoring viable populations of all indigenous species and subspecies across their natural range and maintaining their genetic diversity. Meeting that goal requires knowledge about the extent and status of species, habitats and ecosystems across a range of scales, including how well the full range of ecosystems is represented within the national conservation network.
Land links to water - based business
The Landcare Research-led Integrated Catchment Management Programme at Motueka is helping to create a better understanding of how activities in area affect one another, as this 2008 case study for the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU) explains.
Life cycle assessments pay dividends
Landcare Research's Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) research has pointed the way for increased market security and multi-million-dollar annual savings for New Zealand's primary industries. Zespri calculates that carbon footprinting could save the kiwifruit industry $17 million a year through new production efficiencies (NBR 2008).
Modelling hill country erosion
Annual costs associated with hill country erosion are estimated by MAF to be $100-150m per annum. Costs result from loss of soil and nutrients, lost animal-production, and damage to pasture, waterways and infrastructure. The Ministry spends $2.5m per annum to build regional council capacity to address erosion.
More effective and lower cost biodiversity management: the Threatened Environment Classification
Protection of biodiversity is a statutory requirement under the Resource Management Act. It is also the focus of The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, which reflects New Zealand's commitment to meet the goals of the global Convention on Biological Diversity.
National Vegetation Survey Databank (NVS)
How do we know how much carbon was stored in our forests back in 1990 for our Kyoto Protocol calculations? How much timber could be sustainably logged from an indigenous forest?
Optical satellite imagery for regional monitoring
Innovative remote sensing work by Landcare Research scientists is providing a wealth of information for land management in New Zealand, as this 2007 case study for the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU) explains.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the terrestrial biosphere
Landcare Research is at the forefront of efforts to understand the impacts of, and achieve reductions in, greenhouse gas emissions, as this 2007 case study for the Crown Company Monitoring Advisory Unit (CCMAU) explains.
Saving biodiversity and money: why biocontrol is so effective
In New Zealand one of the most successful biocontrol programmes undertaken to date has been against ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris, previously Senecio jacobaea).
Securing a future for kiwi and kōkako
Kiwi numbers in the wild are halving every decade, with 95% of chicks being killed by predators before reaching adulthood. However in ‘managed areas' on New Zealand's mainland kiwi populations have been stabilised or are increasing.