Managing Land and Water
This research enables industries and land managers to improve the alignment between land use and key environmental social, economic and cultural goals. Strategies to minimise, buffer or mitigate adverse environmental impacts from using and developing land (e.g. agriculture, tourism, energy production, mining, timber, transport) assist in maintaining a comparative advantage in competitive global markets, and improve the health of our land and water assets.
The Portfolio covers productive landscapes (including urban environments) and focuses on (i) supporting sustainable production within environmental limits, (ii) mitigating contaminants and emissions to maintain/enhance resource use and support licence to operate, and (iii) integrating land, water, biota, social, cultural and economic factors to improve resilience and adaptability of ecosystems. Future priorities will centre on system-wide approaches for resource use within multifunctional landscapes, and the tools and technologies that support this (e.g. eco-verification and fit-for-purpose certification, and off-set or mitigation practices). Research in this Portfolio also supports Outcomes 3 and 4.
Research of interest to Māori includes indigenous forestry with Tūhoe Tuawhenua Trust and Waitutu Incorporation.
Key research partners include AgResearch, ESR and NIWA (clean water, productive land); ESR (biowastes); Scion (non-timber values of forests); AgResearch and Plant & Food Research (our partners in the Sustainable Land Use Initiative, SLURI); University of Waikato (soil dynamics) and the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (nitrification inhibitors)
Research priority areas:
- Mitigating methane & N2O
- Land & water management
- Management & mitigation of contaminants
- Multi-functionism/multiple use
- Erosion processes & management