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Benefits of LUCAS

Copyright: SPOT Image CNES 2004.
Example of spatial data for the Manawatu
region which will be available under the
all-of-government purchase agreement

The data and information collected through the LUCAS will also serve a number of other purposes, including:

Land cover mapping

The satellite imagery for the LUCAS will be purchased under an all-of-government purchase agreement so that other government departments and local government can use these data. These and other data can be used for:

  • verifying land that can be planted under the Permanent Forest Sinks Initiative and the Forest Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
  • national land cover mapping.

Forest condition and biodiversity

This programme will undertake New Zealand’s first national forest inventory since the 1940s. Additional data are collected at the same time as field party members collect forest and soil carbon data. This can be used for:

  • biodiversity assessments of indigenous forest and shrublands
  • sampling frameworks for regional and local vegetation monitoring.

Near Waikare

Data on non-carbon features such as forest condition and presence of fungi is also
obtained by field teams.

International reporting

The different classes of land use, are drawn from categories as recognised in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Good Practice Guidance (GPG) for Land use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF).

LUCAS data can also be used for:

  • New Zealand’s international reporting associated with biodiversity, sustainable forest management, and other environmental reporting
  • enhanced planted forest description for policy advice and international reporting (e.g. Montreal Process, Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO))
  • improving land use knowledge and reducing uncertainty around New Zealand’s greenhouse gas net position.

Policy development

LUCAS will provide robust background information for New Zealand’s future climate change policy development. The data and analysis will also be useful in helping to inform our negotiations for future international climate change agreements.

Last updated: 12 November 2008