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Biodiversity Native land cover By LCDB class
Change in native land cover by LCDB class
The vegetation types that have experienced the greatest loss are broadleaved native hardwoods, mānuka and/or kānuka, tall tussock grassland and native forest. Changes recorded by the Land Cover Database 2 show broadleaved native hardwood land cover was mainly converted into exotic forestry (83 per cent) or cleared for pasture (12.5 per cent). Similarly, mānuka and/or kānuka stands were converted into exotic forestry (52.5 per cent) or pasture (46 per cent).
The changes in native forest were largely due to harvesting (82.5 per cent) and some conversion to exotic forestry (11 per cent). All the tall tussock grassland cover that experienced land-use change was converted into exotic forestry.
Estimated change in native land cover between 1997 and 2002, using satellite imagery (LCDB 1 and LCDB 2)
| Native land cover class | Area (hectares) |
Percentage difference (%) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
1997 |
2002 |
||
| Alpine grass/herbfield | 224,400 |
224,400 |
0 |
| Broadleaved native hardwoods | 546,200 |
539,600 |
–1.22 |
| Depleted grassland | 250,500 |
250,500 |
0 |
| Fernland | 51,800 |
51,700 |
–0.15 |
| Flaxland | 6,500 |
6,500 |
0 |
| Grey scrub | 72,500 |
72,400 |
–0.06 |
| Herbaceous freshwater vegetation | 88,800 |
88,700 |
–0.13 |
| Herbaceous saline vegetation | 19,300 |
19,200 |
–0.45 |
| Native forest | 6,459,400 |
6,457,000 |
–0.04 |
| Mangrove | 26,000 |
26,000 |
0 |
| Mānuka and/or kānuka | 1,191,600 |
1,186,200 |
–0.45 |
| Matagouri | 29,500 |
29,500 |
–0.02 |
| Sub-alpine shrubland | 385,400 |
385,400 |
0 |
| Tall tussock grassland | 2,397,100 |
2,394,600 |
–0.10 |
| Total native vegetation cover | 11,748,900 |
11,731,700 |
–0.15 |
| Alpine gravel and rock | 698,000 |
698,100 |
0.01 |
| Coastal sand and gravel | 51,300 |
51,300 |
–0.07 |
| Estuarine open water | 92,500 |
92,500 |
0 |
| Lake and pond | 356,800 |
357,500 |
0.2 |
| Landslide | 17,000 |
17,000 |
–0.26 |
| Permanent snow and ice | 111,000 |
111,000 |
0 |
| River | 81,900 |
81,900 |
0 |
| River and lakeshore gravel and rock | 179,700 |
179,700 |
0 |
| Total other native land cover | 1,588,400 |
1,589,100 |
0.04 |
| Total native land cover | 13,337,300 |
13,320,800 |
–0.12 |
Data source: Landcare Research.
Notes: Grey scrub is a classification for areas covered with small-leaved shrubs such as small-leaved Coprosma species.
Matagouri (Discaria toumatou) is a thorny shrub found in open, moist areas, which is known to invade pastures.
Figures rounded to the nearest 100 hectares. Percentages are calculated from unrounded figures.
This information has come from the latest national state of the environment report Environment New Zealand 2007.
Return to native land cover by LCDB class page.
Last updated: December 2008
