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Other government sustainability initiatives with climate change benefits - Sustainable land management (agriculture and forestry)

In addition to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme, the Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Plan of Action provides a platform for the government to work in partnership with the agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors, Maori and local government on climate change issues.

This is critical to secure the changes in land-use practices needed for New Zealand to successfully adapt to changes in climate, reduce agriculture emissions and secure new forest planting.

In partnership with the sectors, the Plan of Action will deliver:

A five-year adaptation programme that will help the land management sector build the capability to address the risk and opportunities from climate change. As part of this programme a $5.7 million community irrigation fund will be established to help rural communities adapt to increasing drought risk.
A range of complementary measures to the Emissions Trading Scheme including the establishment of farm-scale greenhouse gas monitoring and reporting and a $50 million Afforestation Grant Scheme which allows landowners who elect not to enter the Emissions Trading Scheme to realise the climate change mitigation benefits of afforestation.
A five-year work programme aimed at addressing barriers which hinder the private sector from capitalising on climate change opportunities. This includes the development of a greenhouse gas footprint response for the primary sectors and reviewing market opportunities such as the creation of markets for emission-reducing technologies. In addition, $10 million will be invested in research, development and commercialisation of biofuel, biochar and energy efficiency opportunities.
A strategic framework for research to provide a comprehensive research and technology platform to underpin the Plan of Action and coordinate the investment of $10 million in new research funding into adaptation and mitigation of agriculture and forestry greenhouse gas emissions.

Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGGRC)

Much of the research effort to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions has been coordinated through the PGGRC, a joint government and industry funded research consortium which implemented a five-year research strategy in 2003.

New funding has recently been agreed, and the PGGRC will continue to be a critical vehicle for undertaking research into reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector.

A Technology Transfer programme to enhance the ability of the sector to quickly roll out and adopt new technology.
A communications programme to facilitate delivery of factual information and key messages to the sectors and ensure sustained action over the medium to long term.

The government already has in place a range of initiatives that will help the land management sectors address climate change including:

the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative, a scheme that targets owners of land that will be kept under forest cover indefinitely, rather than clear-felled at the end of each rotation
the East Coast Forestry Project - under the existing project, landholders in the region are provided with a cash grant for soil conservation purposes
other government programmes such as the On-farm Adverse Events Policy and Sustainable Land Management (Hill Country Erosion).