NLRC Newsletter Issue 1, 2013
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NLRC NEWSLETTER Issue 1 NLRC Newsletter Issue 1 2013 KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION ON THE USE OF NEW ZEALAND’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 NLRC NEWSLETTER | Issue 1 3 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