Land Environments of New Zealand: Overview and update

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Nga Taiao o Aotearoa
LENZOverview Update
SPINFO Workshop27 May 2005Rotorua
Daniel Rutledge Landcare Research Hamilton
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Road Map

• Why LENZ?
• What is LENZ?
• How was it developed?
• Who is using it?
• Where are we now and where are we going?

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Why LENZ?
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Ecosystem Management

• What did we have in the past?
• What do we have now?
• What is significant (distinctive,
  representative)?
• How and where should we focus our efforts?
• Particularly difficult in lowlands
• Extensive loss of natural cover
• Often little historical description
• Reserves often minimal or lacking
• Need tools reflecting the new paradigms
• Maps of ecosystems
• Models for past, current, and future conditions

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Scientific Advancements

• Arose out of quantitative analyses of New
  Zealands forest pattern
• Intensively studied during 1930s-1970s
• Numerical tools shifted focus to studies of
  forest community composition at local-scale
• Growth in computing power allowed re-examination
  of species-environment relationships at broad
  scales

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LENZ Objectives

• Define areas with similar ecosystem character
• Spatial stratification for managing biodiversity
• Analyse ecosystem loss
• Assess adequacy of protected areas
• Assess value of fragments - section 6c, RMA
• Assess relevant spatial extent of indicators
• Potential for a range of other applications

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What is LENZ?

• A national environmental classification
• Developed by Landcare Research
• Funded primarily by the Ministry for the
  Environment as part of its Environmental
  Reporting Programme
• Based on abiotic drivers of biological patterns
• Climate
• Landform
• Soil
• Flexible
• Multi-scale from national to regional to local
  (in some instances)
• Varying level of detail 20 to 500 environments
  nationally
• Adaptable conservation, restoration, land use
  planning
• Quantitative modelling, risk assessment,
  suitability analyses

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How was it developed?

• Selection based on studies of tree distribution
• NZ 80 forested in pre-human times
• Linking large spatial data sets with estimates of
  environment
• High statistical correlation with observedtree
  distributions
• Strong functional linkages with plant
  physiological processes

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LENZ Classification Overview
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LENZ Classification
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LENZ Classification
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LENZ Classification
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LENZ Classification
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Whos using it?

• Ministry for the Environment
• Department of Conservation
• Land Information New Zealand
• Regional councils
• Environment Waikato
• Environment Canterbury
• Horizons (Manawatu-Wanganui)
• CRIs
• Universities
• Private consultants

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Examples

• Ministry for the Environment Protected
  Areas Analysis
• Lake Taupo Development Company Crop
  Suitability Analysis for Taupo Region
• Environment Waikato Prediction of Potential
  Range of Three Threatened Plant Species

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MfERepresentativeness of Protected Areas
Full extent
Indigenous vegetation, not protected
Indigenous vegetation, protected
LENZ Level II Environments lt 20 indigenous
vegetation remaining
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Lake Taupo Development Company
Bluberry Overall suitability
Blueberry Suitability forclimate soil factors
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EW Threatened Plant Range
Potential Range of Dactylanthus taylorii in the
Waikato Region Level 1 LENZ Underlying
variables Level 2 1 Land Cover Level 3 2
1995 Vegetation
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Where are we now?
Presentations DOC, TFBIS, NZTE,Biodiversity
Summit
Launch
Regional Workshops
2003
2004
2005
LENZ to Councils
LENZ 1.0
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and where are we going?
Enhance web site
LENZ 1.1
You Are here
2005
2006
?
Corrections Updates
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LENZ TEAM
Fraser Morgan
Craig Briggs Robbie Price Daniel Rutledge
Anne-Gaelle Ausseil
Stella Belliss
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LENZ Marguee
lenz.landcareresearch.co.nz