NLRC NEWSLETTER Issue 1

NLRC Newsletter

Issue 1 2013

KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION ON THE USE OF ’S GREATEST ASSET IN THIS ISSUE

A Year in Review It has been a year since the launch of the technical training in the use of science National Land Resource Centre (NLRC) – so data, information and tools. The Centre is it is timely to review how far we’ve come in now targeting engagement to determine taking a vision and making it a reality and how best to meet these growing needs highlight a small selection of the work and provide opportunities for more we’ve done as well as some of our future efficient transfer of knowledge from Our Land and Water plans. science providers to users. The National Science Challenge [Our land and Launch of the NLRC website Building partnerships water] represents one of the most significant A recent workshop invited potential priorities for New Zealand. The NLRC has been The NLRC website continues to provide partner CRIs (AgResearch, ESR, Plant & keeping up with aims to work collaboratively to users with the most current and up-to-date Food Research, NIWA, GNS Science and achieve this challenge. science information and news from across Scion) to participate in developing a and beyond the science community in a Page 3 collaborative approach to the NLRC. The friendly and engaging way. It incorporates workshop gained feedback from the a unique geo-referenced search potential partner agencies on the role, capability. This now allows users to find function, and scope of the NLRC. As a science, resources and organisations result, partners will be formally active for a location or regional of their incorporated within the NLRC in a choice. New opportunities to engage with ‘Collaborative Committee’, setting social media such as twitter and Facebook direction and determining priorities for the encourage stakeholders to open up a 2013/14 year. wider discussion on how best to protect New Zealand’s greatest asset – land. The NLRC, Land Management Forum (LMF), Land Management Group (LMG), A survey of users and Surface Water Integrated Managers

Two years of scoping before the NLRC was (SWIM) are also working together to build a launched revealed a major pan-sector partnership that increases the effectiveness Urban Soils need for enhancing capability to use land- of regional council operations and A new NLRC video, created by Pierre Roudier, based science to better manage land interactions with farmers and other shows the successive waves of urban growth on resources. In response, the NLRC stakeholders. high class land around Auckland from 1990 to administered a pilot study and surveyed a 2008. range of sectors interested in managing land resources. The survey confirmed Page 4 needs and also illustrated that there is a growing demand for short-course NLRC NEWSLETTER | Issue 1 2

A Survey of Users

The National Land Resource Centre (NLRC) conducted a pilot study on the current capacity-building needs in soil and land resource science and management. The study provided preliminary insight into capacity needs across a range of professions associated with natural resource management, and highlighted key areas where further investigation is required.

This study illustrates the need for a more comprehensive study that would guide the development of a collaborative approach to capacity enhancement. In time, there is potential for a more effective transfer of scientific information that will encourage the integrated management of natural need for building capacity in the soil and FOR MORE INFORMATION resources to meet the need of a growing land resource sector within their economy while at the same time organization. protecting the environment. To access the full review of capacity- The NLRC is currently working with partners building needs go to the NLRC website. According to those surveyed, there is from the CRIs, Massey and Lincoln www.nlrc.org.nz growing concern that knowledge of soil Universities, regional councils, and the New and land resource science in New Zealand Zealand Association of Resource Managers is waning and there is a need to re-build to determine the next steps, which will capacity for better and more sustainable focus on bridging the gap between land management. Of those surveyed, 84% science and practice. ‘Agree’ or ‘Strongly Agree’ that there is a

Building Partnerships

Regional councils are currently deciding Priorities’, available on the EnviroLink how best to ensure the economic website, which highlights current critical development of their regions while issues and research priorities and provides simultaneously protecting environmental recommendations for the development of integrity. In response to this the NLRC has a national research agenda. In time, there been working with regional councils to is potential for all land-based decision- facilitate better matching of land research making to draw on the same consistent to regional council land management and information, increasing the effectiveness of planning. The NLRC, Land Management regional council operations and streaming Forum (LMF), and Land Management the interactions with farmers and other Group (LMG) are working together to build stakeholders. a partnership that increases the effectiveness of regional council FOR MORE INFORMATION operations and the interactions with farmers and other stakeholders. To read the full report, go to the EnviroLink website. The NLRC has released a new report ‘Alignment of Special Interest Groups and www.envirolink.govt.nz. the National Land Resource Centre

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NEW ZELAND LAND INFORMATION “Essentially all life depends on soil” – Charles Kellogg, 1938

Land-use information Several new tools and data sets of land-use and resource information are currently available on the LRIS Portal and the NLRC website. Advances in land and water

TThe NLRC aims to keeps up-to-date with collaborative approach to ensure science the newest information and activiteis enables the wise use of land and water related to land and water. We would like resources. to share some key activities that are

happening near you. Land Use Change National Science Challenges Growth in population, coupled with economic development, has resulted in The National Science Challenge ‘Our land Healthy Ecosystems considerable change in New Zealand’s and water’ represents one of the most land in the last 20 years. Recent land-use Healthy soils and appropriate land use underpin significant priorities for New Zealand – how intensification can cause decline in the sustainable primary production. to drive economic growth from the land ecosystem condition the services provide. without undermining the health of the Understanding and managing the impact NEW ZEALAND LAND FAST FACTS resources on which the growth is based. of change requires good evidence on the state and trend of land-use change. The challenge is to find best practice solutions and new ways of using the land There are several sources of New Zealand that simultaneously drive production gains land-use and resource information and protect land and water. This will available on the NLRC website. For 45% require a collective science effort at farm, example, the New Zealand Land Cover catchment and regional scales and a Database (LCDB) is a digital map of the Land under primary production pulling together of the data, science and land surface of the country, and its third knowledge that sit in many agencies. edition (LCDB3) is now available. Upgrades are currently taking place that will result in Another key component will be making a fourth edition, LCDB 4. sure our science and the technologies and evidence that are derived from them can Land resource information can also be be more easily accessed and ‘consumed’ searched, sourced, and obtained from the 25% by those driving decision-making Land Resource Information System (LRIS). processes, best practice, and innovation – LRIS is a web interface for a wide range of Contribution of primary production to GDP increasing the need for social, economic, . digital land information resources, and participatory research skills and including the New Zealand Land Resource reinforcing the role of initiatives such as the Inventory (NZLRI), the National Soils FOR MORE INFORMATION NLRC. Database (NSD), and derivatives, such as Fundamental Soil Layers (FSL), digital soil To learn more fast facts about New In December 2012, the NLRC worked with maps, and other spatial databases. Zealand’s land and economy visit the 16 agencies, ranging from Federated NLRC website. Farmers, CRIs, regional councils to Business Data from these systems have been used New Zealand, to consider the shape of the in a diverse range of applications – www.nlrc.org.nz national science challenge. This resulted in including regional resource management a submission to MBIE. The NLRC and its

and national monitoring of carbon sources partners continue to support the and sinks. development of the national science challenge, which reinforces the need for a

NLRC NEWSLETTER | Issue 1 4

Soil and Water Integrated Research Aquifer Protection AquaTRAC, which was commissioned by Healthy soils and appropriate land use (IRAP) is a collaborative research that is a the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) underpin sustainable primary production result of growing concern among the and built by Plant and Food Research, and contribute to New Zealand’s ability to public and policy makers that the enables farmers to take a paddock- neutralise greenhouse gas emissions. intensification of land use may cause specific approach to irrigation Increasing demand for urban deterioration in groundwater quality. management as, by tracking soil moisture development or intensified pastoral levels and crop requirements, it calculates agriculture puts pressure on land, water, SFF Hawke’s Bay is another project that is when each paddock requires watering and soils, especially as most of New exploring irrigation options for the and how much to apply. Zealand’s soils are of low natural fertility. Ruataniwha Basin. AgResearch is Because of the vastness of the supporting the development of several environment and the rapid rate at which it pre- and post- irrigation model farms by FOR MORE INFORMATION is being changed, it is important to monitor modelling the likely effects of nutrient losses and measure environmental conditions to surface and ground water, using and trends using the most advanced and OVERSEER and GIS analysis tools in Have a project or new technology you specialized methods, tools and conjunction with SPASMO, and including are working on and want to share? Tell technologies. on-farm mitigation and avoidance options. us about it! http://www.nlrc.org.nz/resources/add-a- Several projects and tools are underway resource that actively work towards developing best

management practices and decision support tools to understand the big picture of water quality and management. Below are some examples of some current projects happening around the country.

Urban Soils

Auckland is facing the challenge of accommodating a growing population, with a growing need for more housing. One proposal to increase housing availability is to expand the city into the

rural land that surrounds it. But all land is not equal.

Some parts of the rural land – where the soils and climate support thriving produce, dairying, and bloodstock sectors – are more valuable than other areas. Such high-class land is a precious and limited

resource.

A change in the use of land therefore FOR MORE INFORMATION requires a consideration of the various A new NLRC video shows the successive tradeoffs that will need to be made. waves of urban growth on high-class land View this video and other NLRC videos Urbanisation of agricultural land is around Auckland from 1990 to 2008. This on the NLRC YouTube channel. essentially an irreversible process. Dividing new way of communicating science has agricultural land into relatively small led to increased media attention and www.youtube.com/LandResourcesNZ parcels for housing produces a sharp rise in greater awareness of the threats to land value, making it difficult for farmers to productive land. buy back; and many of the qualities of

high-class land require centuries to return to their initial state.

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Around Town AROUND TOWN

Soil Information Workshop to ensure the right research is done by the right teams and made available to users in On 16 and 17 August the NLRC hosted a the right way. trans-Tasman soil information workshop at the Landcare Research office in SLUA Assembly Wellington. The workshop followed a 1-day joint soil and geology information modeling What kind of science can help NZ manage workshop at GNS Science Lower Hutt. its soil and land resources better in the future? How can experts in the These workshops are typical of a growing management of these resources set a new community of scientists who have been research agenda that will help NZ address collaborating to develop standardised the challenges that lie ahead – from NLRC workshop ways of storing and sharing data. Sharing sustaining production now to feeding On 16 and 17 August the National Land land and soil information this way can future generations around the globe? Resource Centre hosted a trans-Tasman soil bring many benefits: increasing the What do we have to offer in the national information workshop at the Landcare efficiency of data management and science challenges? Research office in Wellington. exchange by reducing the number of file formats and data structures with which These were some of the questions a group users must deal; allowing the integration of of leading soil and land-use researchers data from disparate data sources; and, by discussed at Lincoln on 24 August as part focusing on core land and soil concepts of the Soil and Land Use Alliance (SLUA). rather than one-off user interfaces, Landcare Research, AgResearch, Scion, increasing the likelihood that the data may and Plant & Food Research have formed be reused for multiple, unforeseen, the Alliance to ensure a more purposes. collaborative approach across core and contestable funding opportunities. These The 1-day workshop (attended by four organisations recognise that the best Landcare Research staff) covered how the outcomes for New Zealand will result from two groups used one another’s data and coordinated investments, research activities, and capability development identified much common ground. They NLRC on TVNZ One considered shared technology and across the range of landscapes, sectors Rural Delivery, TVNZ One, presents Dr Alison integration options in their information and land uses we represent. Collins discussing the recent initiatives of the models (not just physical phenomena, but NLRC. also observation and sampling activities, A Path Forward for the NZLRI and LUC and the use of technical vocabularies). It is As part of a review into the status and clear that the emerging soil information future development of New Zealand Land community can learn a lot from the Resource Inventory (NZLRI) and the Land geology community’s successes (and Use Capability (LUC) classification system, mistakes), while the soil community can Landcare Research organised a 1-day teach the geologists much about workshop in on 9 October describing quantitative data and the 2012. The goal was to determine a path related uncertainty. forward for the NZLRI/LUC so that it remains fit for purpose and can meet the needs of FLRC Annual Workshop users and stakeholders now and into the The NLRC attended the 26th Annual future. Fertilizer and Lime Research Centre Workshop in in February Land management and planning staff this year. Workshop discussions explored from 12 of the 16 regional councils were the accurate and efficient use of nutrients represented, as well as a number of private on farms. consultants, recently retired ‘experts’, Landcare Research, AgResearch, and GNS At the workshop the NLRC proposed a new staff well versed in the Land Use Capability NLRC website approach to information dissemination methodology. The NLRC is a gateway to authoritative science through greater collaboration and data and information from a variety of sources partnership between scientists, industry, and providers. and government. Agendas and priorities for land resource management are developing quickly and there is an increasing need to work together

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NLRC on TVNZ One NLRC website Soil Horizons

In August 2012, Dr Alison Collins, Director of The NLRC website is an online gateway to The NLRC recently acquired Soil Horizons the NLRC, was interviewed on Rural New Zealand’s land and increasingly, newsletter. Soil Horizons is an annual Delivery on TVNZ One. With agriculture, water resources. It has helped remove the newsletter, previously published by mining and tourism providing more than a barriers resulting from information residing Landcare Research, which communicates quarter of our GDP, our future prosperity is in multiple organisations or not being easily the work of scientists working in soil and highly dependent on understanding and accessible. It provides a direct link to a land research. Soil Horizons was first managing our land resources. But at range of authoritative data and published in 1997 and has become present information on land resource, and information from a variety of sources and increasingly popular throughout New the capability to commission, generate, providers, and direct access to NLRC Zealand and overseas. It has a mailing list interpret, and use it, are distributed across commissioned reports. At present there are of over 1000 recipients, including many organisations. Addressing the issue of over 700 resources available on the researchers, students, regional and fragmentation to get more value from land website, including up-to-date news, national decision makers, agri-business, and water research is a key aim of the information, and up-coming events. media, and the general public. NLRC. The NLRC has also gone social – streaming Previous issues of Soil Horizons have social media such as Twitter and included articles on soil mapping, soil Facebook. This encourages openly quality, land rehabilitation, impacts of discussion on how best to protect New waste waters, nitrates, pesticides and Zealand’s greatest asset – land. heavy metals on the environment,

cropland erosion and soil degradation, non-point source pollution on land and water resources, and climate change research topics, including greenhouse gases. This year the theme will be around the National Science Challenge ‘Our Land & Water’. The upcoming issue will showcase research that aims to enhance productivity while maintaining land and water for future generations.

NLRC Newsletter

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