Utility of Montreal Process Indicators for Soil Conservation in Native Forests and Plantations in Australia and New Zealand

2015 ◽  
pp. 121-135
Author(s):  
C. T. Smith ◽  
R. J. Raison
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Process Indicators ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Montreal Process

scholarly journals How to Become a Mushroom: A New Nature Ethnography of Fungi in Aotearoa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Alice Nicholls
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Nature Writing ◽  
The West ◽  
Multispecies Ethnography ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Transformative Potential ◽  
The Moment

<p>This thesis proposes that the moment of interaction between a person and a fungus is transformative of both subjects. Using new nature writing techniques in tandem with multispecies ethnography, this thesis seeks to present a rich, autoethnographic account of my encounters with fungi in the native forests of the West Coast of Aotearoa. Drawing on five days of ethnographic fieldwork spent at the Fungal Network of New Zealand (FUNNZ) annual Fungal Foray in the township of Moana, I explore the affective, emotional, sensory, intellectual, and corporeal experiences of interacting with fungi. Using new nature writing as an ethnographic medium, I suggest that narratives that pertain to the researcher’s experiences can render new understandings of nonhuman subjects. In doing so, I explore both the transformative potential of multispecies encounters for the researcher and the researched, and the literary potential of multispecies ethnography to illustrate the encounters themselves.</p>

Crown‐stem dimension relationships in two New Zealand native forests

2005 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 673-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Norton ◽  
C. Hamish Cochrane ◽  
Stephen D. Reay
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Native Forests

Development of a New Zealand SedNet model for assessment of catchment-wide soil-conservation works

Geomorphology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 257 ◽  
pp. 85-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Dymond ◽  
Alexander Herzig ◽  
Les Basher ◽  
Harley D. Betts ◽  
Mike Marden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Soil Conservation

Neobulgaria alba sp. nov. and its Phialophora-like anamorph in native forests and kiwifruit orchards in New Zealand

Mycotaxon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 385-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.R. Johnston ◽  
D. Park ◽  
M.A. Manning
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Native Forests

scholarly journals Beyond the dollar: Carbon farming and its alternatives for Tairāwhiti Māori landowners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Leo Mercer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Medicinal Cannabis

<p>This research explores landowner preferences for various land use options suitable for Māori land in Te Tairāwhiti, on the East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa-New Zealand (henceforth Aotearoa). A particular emphasis is placed on the applicability and feasibility of native forest carbon farming within the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) and opportunities, barriers and risks associated with this land use. Alongside this focus, is a wider investigation into the socio-cultural, environmental and economic co-benefits Māori landowners associate with traditional and emerging land uses in Te Tairāwhiti. This study uses a transformative research approach that is rooted in the spirit of kaupapa Māori research.  Some 90 percent of Māori land in Te Tairāwhiti has severe limitations which restrict land use options to plantation forestry or pastoral farming for most landowners. A response to these limitations, and a land development option favoured by government agencies, and the academy, is for ‘unproductive’ Māori land to be retired into permanent native forest carbon sinks – a solution frequently proffered as a positive means to address national climate change commitments and local environmental and socioeconomic issues. Whilst these objectives, and the land use preferences of Māori seemingly converge, the wider history of land loss and alienation influences perceptions of fairness and equity for Māori landowners who may feel pressured by the lack of attractive land use options to establish permanent carbon sinks, which can effectively constrain land use options for future generations.  Through case study analysis of a Māori sheep and beef farming incorporation participating in the NZ ETS, this study suggests an economic case for carbon farming in Te Tairāwhiti. However, institutional and socio-cultural barriers hinder the participation of Māori landowners in the NZ ETS. The second focus of this thesis has been an investigation into how native forest carbon farming is viewed when compared to other novel and existing land uses suitable for Māori land in the Waiapu catchment (a highly erodible catchment in Te Tairāwhiti). Interviews with key informants were employed to curate a set of land use options for Māori landowners to appraise, using multi-criteria analysis, at two wānanga. Four land use models were created for appraisal by 16 Māori landowner participants. The strength of association between a co-benefit and a land use was collectively deliberated upon in each of these models, and ratings were assigned to reflect this association. These ratings have aided in assessing the wider value of land uses for Māori in the region.   The results from this research indicate an overwhelming preference for native forests when compared to other suitable land uses. Native forests are most closely associated with environmental co-benefits (erosion control, water quality, biodiversity and withstanding and limiting climate change) and social and cultural co-benefits (skills development, employment, reconnecting with the land, and self-determination/autonomy). The strong performance of native forestry stands in stark contrast with other land uses under consideration such as exotic forestry (Pinus radiata within the study scenario) and sheep and beef farming which occupy the majority of ‘productive’ land in Te Tairāwhiti. Exotic forestry and sheep and beef farming are associated with few benefits beyond employment and skills development. There is also a clear perception in the quantitative and qualitative data that these uses disconnect Māori landowners from their land and reduce the ability of communities to be self-reliant.   Interestingly, other novel land uses under consideration such as perennial horticulture (including blueberries, macadamia nuts and apples), medicinal cannabis and hemp, and hunting and tourism were also valued more than exotic forestry and sheep and beef farming. These results indicate that existing land uses, sometimes implemented without express input from local communities, are now the least preferred land uses. In addition, novel and untested land uses such as medicinal cannabis and hemp, which do not exist at any scale in the region, are preferred over existing uses - even when there is scant evidence of success at any scale.   These results push back at the prevailing Pākehā dominated orthodoxy, which has existed from the early days of colonisation and holds that monoculture land uses, for profit above all else, are best suited to the land and the people. It is clear, from this study, that Māori landowners wish to move back to a vibrant multi-faceted land use regime – exemplified by diversity over homogeneity – that characterised the pre-colonisation Māori economy. This research accordingly introduces and explores a value articulating process that increases understanding of the aspirations and values of Māori landowners, and can assist Māori in progressing their land use futures.</p>

scholarly journals Beyond the dollar: Carbon farming and its alternatives for Tairāwhiti Māori landowners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Leo Mercer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Carbon Sinks ◽  
Native Forests ◽  
Medicinal Cannabis

<p>This research explores landowner preferences for various land use options suitable for Māori land in Te Tairāwhiti, on the East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa-New Zealand (henceforth Aotearoa). A particular emphasis is placed on the applicability and feasibility of native forest carbon farming within the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) and opportunities, barriers and risks associated with this land use. Alongside this focus, is a wider investigation into the socio-cultural, environmental and economic co-benefits Māori landowners associate with traditional and emerging land uses in Te Tairāwhiti. This study uses a transformative research approach that is rooted in the spirit of kaupapa Māori research.  Some 90 percent of Māori land in Te Tairāwhiti has severe limitations which restrict land use options to plantation forestry or pastoral farming for most landowners. A response to these limitations, and a land development option favoured by government agencies, and the academy, is for ‘unproductive’ Māori land to be retired into permanent native forest carbon sinks – a solution frequently proffered as a positive means to address national climate change commitments and local environmental and socioeconomic issues. Whilst these objectives, and the land use preferences of Māori seemingly converge, the wider history of land loss and alienation influences perceptions of fairness and equity for Māori landowners who may feel pressured by the lack of attractive land use options to establish permanent carbon sinks, which can effectively constrain land use options for future generations.  Through case study analysis of a Māori sheep and beef farming incorporation participating in the NZ ETS, this study suggests an economic case for carbon farming in Te Tairāwhiti. However, institutional and socio-cultural barriers hinder the participation of Māori landowners in the NZ ETS. The second focus of this thesis has been an investigation into how native forest carbon farming is viewed when compared to other novel and existing land uses suitable for Māori land in the Waiapu catchment (a highly erodible catchment in Te Tairāwhiti). Interviews with key informants were employed to curate a set of land use options for Māori landowners to appraise, using multi-criteria analysis, at two wānanga. Four land use models were created for appraisal by 16 Māori landowner participants. The strength of association between a co-benefit and a land use was collectively deliberated upon in each of these models, and ratings were assigned to reflect this association. These ratings have aided in assessing the wider value of land uses for Māori in the region.   The results from this research indicate an overwhelming preference for native forests when compared to other suitable land uses. Native forests are most closely associated with environmental co-benefits (erosion control, water quality, biodiversity and withstanding and limiting climate change) and social and cultural co-benefits (skills development, employment, reconnecting with the land, and self-determination/autonomy). The strong performance of native forestry stands in stark contrast with other land uses under consideration such as exotic forestry (Pinus radiata within the study scenario) and sheep and beef farming which occupy the majority of ‘productive’ land in Te Tairāwhiti. Exotic forestry and sheep and beef farming are associated with few benefits beyond employment and skills development. There is also a clear perception in the quantitative and qualitative data that these uses disconnect Māori landowners from their land and reduce the ability of communities to be self-reliant.   Interestingly, other novel land uses under consideration such as perennial horticulture (including blueberries, macadamia nuts and apples), medicinal cannabis and hemp, and hunting and tourism were also valued more than exotic forestry and sheep and beef farming. These results indicate that existing land uses, sometimes implemented without express input from local communities, are now the least preferred land uses. In addition, novel and untested land uses such as medicinal cannabis and hemp, which do not exist at any scale in the region, are preferred over existing uses - even when there is scant evidence of success at any scale.   These results push back at the prevailing Pākehā dominated orthodoxy, which has existed from the early days of colonisation and holds that monoculture land uses, for profit above all else, are best suited to the land and the people. It is clear, from this study, that Māori landowners wish to move back to a vibrant multi-faceted land use regime – exemplified by diversity over homogeneity – that characterised the pre-colonisation Māori economy. This research accordingly introduces and explores a value articulating process that increases understanding of the aspirations and values of Māori landowners, and can assist Māori in progressing their land use futures.</p>

Inferring the effect of individual trees on slope stability in New Zealand’s pastoral hill country

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Spiekermann ◽  
Sam McColl ◽  
Ian Fuller ◽  
John Dymond ◽  
Lucy Burkitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Slope Stability ◽  
Landslide Susceptibility ◽  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Root Reinforcement ◽  
Sediment Control ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Individual Trees

&lt;p&gt;Silvopastoralism in New Zealand&amp;#8217;s highly erodible hill country is an important form of erosion and sediment control. Despite a long history in improving sustainable land management and soil conservation since the enactment of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941, there has been little quantitative work to establish the effectiveness of space-planted trees in reducing shallow landslide erosion at farm to landscape scales. This is largely due to the lack of spatially explicit data on individual trees and their influence on slope stability. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the extent to which plantings have targeted slopes susceptible to landslide erosion. Furthermore, root data collection for multiple species and age classes is very time-consuming and costly, which limits the development of root reinforcement models for different species and partly explains the paucity of quantitative data on the effectiveness of space-planted trees.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We present an empirical approach that aims to fill the gap in scale between 1) physical models that integrated root reinforcement data of individual trees into slope stability models and 2) landslide susceptibility modelling at regional scale using land cover data. First, we delineate individual tree crowns (ITCs) at landscape scale and classify into dominant species classes found in New Zealand&amp;#8217;s pastoral hill country. The resulting rural tree species classification achieved an overall accuracy of 92.6% based on 9,200 samples that were collected from two farms within the study area. We then present a spatially explicit tree influence model for each species class developed by means of inductive inference. The tree influence models represent the combined hydrological and mechanical influence of trees on slopes, which is inferred through the spatial relationship between individual trees and landslide erosion. The resulting tree influence models largely agree with the shape and distribution of existing physical root reinforcement models.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Of exotic species that were planted for erosion and sediment control, poplars (Populus spp.) and willows (Salix spp.) make up 51% (109,000 trees) in pastoral hill country at a mean density of 3.2 trees/ha. This large number of poplars and willows reflects the efforts made by landowners and soil conservators over several decades to mitigate erosion processes and adopt more sustainable land management practices. In line with previous studies, poplars and willows have the greatest contribution to slope stability with an average maximum effective distance of 20 m. Yet, native k&amp;#257;nuka (Kunzea spp.) is the most abundant woody vegetation species in pastoral hill country within the study area, with an average of 24.1 stems per ha (sph), providing an important soil conservation function. A large proportion (56% or 212.5 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;) of pastoral hill-country in the study area remains untreated, i.e. has no added soil shear strength due to the presence of trees. The tree influence models presented in this study can be integrated into landslide susceptibility modelling in silvopastoral/agroforestry landscapes to both quantify the reduction in landslide susceptibility achieved and support targeted erosion and sediment mitigation plans.&lt;/p&gt;

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