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Land cover

New Zealand’s varying land-cover patterns are the result of human and natural pressures, such as land-use changes and geological and ecosystem processes.

Since 1997, land cover in New Zealand has been mapped periodically from satellite imagery to create the national Land Cover Databases (LCDB) 1 and 2. The current state of and changes in land cover are reported using nine major land-cover classes grouped from the LCDB 1 (1997) and LCDB 2 (2002).

Current situation

Based on the LCDB 2, New Zealand's land cover is:

  • 50 per cent native forest, native vegetation and other native land cover
  • 39 per cent pasture (high-producing and low-producing grassland land-cover classes)
  • 9 per cent exotic forest and exotic shrubland
  • 1.6 per cent horticulture (horticultural, viticultural and cropping land-cover classes)
  • 0.8 per cent artificial surfaces such as urban and built up areas, landfills and transport infrastructure.

Land cover in New Zealand in 2002 (LCDB 2), grouped into nine major land-cover classes

Map showing land cover in New Zealand in 2002 (LCDB 2), grouped into nine major land-cover classes

Underlying data (text description) for above map

Data source: Ministry for the Environment.

 

Recent trends

Between 1997 and 2002, the area of land in:

  • exotic forest increased by 139,500 hectares
  • pasture (including high- and low-producing grasslands) decreased by 125,200 hectares (or 1.17 per cent)
  • native forest and native vegetation decreased by 17,200 hectares in total
  • artificial surfaces increased by 5500 hectares, most of which was built-up areas (ie, human settlements)
  • horticulture increased by 4500 hectares. This mostly was a result of a 5500-hectares (or 28 per cent) increase in vineyards and a reduction in arable cropping.

Changes in land cover between 1997 (LCDB 1) and 2002 (LCDB 2)

Land-cover class
1997 area (hectares)
2002 area (hectares)
Change in area (hectares)

Exotic forest

1,822,300

1,961,800

139,500

Exotic shrubland

370,900

363,300

–7,600

Native forest (including mangroves)

6,485,400

6,483,100

–2,300

Native vegetation

5,263,400

5,248,500

–14,900

Other native land cover

1,588,400

1,589,100

700

Primarily horticulture

413,000

417,400

4,500

Primarily pasture

 

 

 

High-producing exotic grassland

8,985,200

8,885,800

–99,400

Low-producing grassland

1,678,100

1,652,300

–25,800

Artificial surfaces

215,000

220,500

5,500

Total

26,821,600

26,821,600

Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 100 hectares.
Data source: Ministry for the Environment.

 

What can you do?

  • Planting trees removes carbon from the atmosphere, filters air and prevents soil erosion. Plant trees native to your area that don't require heavy irrigation.
  • Fence off streams and river banks to help protect our waterways. Planting native vegetation or other plants enhances water quality by filtering sediment, faecal bacteria and nutrients from surface water run-off.
  • Visit www.landcare.org.nz for information about sustainable land management and biodiversity initiatives in rural communities.

This information has come from the latest national state of the environment report Environment New Zealand 2007.

 

Move to the next land indicator: land use.

Last updated: December 2007