Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature
Much land has been cleared of indigenous forest for pastoral agriculture worldwide. In New Zealand, the clearance of indigenous forest on hill country has resulted in high food production, but waterways have become turbid, with high nutrient and <i>E. coli</i> concentrations. A range of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Land |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1482 |
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| author | John R. Dymond Adam J. Daigneault Olivia R. Burge Chris C. Tanner Fiona E. Carswell Suzie Greenhalgh Anne-Gaelle E. Ausseil Norman W. H. Mason Beverley R. Clarkson |
| author_facet | John R. Dymond Adam J. Daigneault Olivia R. Burge Chris C. Tanner Fiona E. Carswell Suzie Greenhalgh Anne-Gaelle E. Ausseil Norman W. H. Mason Beverley R. Clarkson |
| author_sort | John R. Dymond |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Much land has been cleared of indigenous forest for pastoral agriculture worldwide. In New Zealand, the clearance of indigenous forest on hill country has resulted in high food production, but waterways have become turbid, with high nutrient and <i>E. coli</i> concentrations. A range of on-farm mitigations are available, but it is unclear how they should be applied catchment-wide. We have developed a catchment-scale model that integrates economics with ecosystem services to find a better balance between agriculture and nature. In the upper Wairua catchment, Northland, if three actions are prioritised—(1) keeping stock out of streams, (2) constructing flood retention bunds in first-order catchments, and (3) planting trees on highly erodible land—then sediment loads, <i>E. coli</i> levels, and flooding are significantly reduced. Implementing these actions would cost approximately 10% of catchment net revenue, so it is feasible with a combination of regulation and subsidy. Many catchments in New Zealand are primarily pastoral agriculture, as in other countries (in North and South America, Australasia, and the United Kingdom), and would benefit from the analysis presented here to guide development along sustainable pathways. While pastoral agriculture typically stresses waterways, with increased sedimentation and freshwater contaminants, much can be done to mitigate these effects with improved farm and riparian management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:48:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-07d9eb16651f469d91ff69c616d5ed8a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:48:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-07d9eb16651f469d91ff69c616d5ed8a2023-11-19T01:50:04ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2023-07-01128148210.3390/land12081482Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and NatureJohn R. Dymond0Adam J. Daigneault1Olivia R. Burge2Chris C. Tanner3Fiona E. Carswell4Suzie Greenhalgh5Anne-Gaelle E. Ausseil6Norman W. H. Mason7Beverley R. Clarkson8Manaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Palmerston North 4472, New ZealandSchool of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USAManaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Lincoln 7608, New ZealandNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Hamilton 3216, New ZealandManaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Lincoln 7608, New ZealandManaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Auckland 1072, New ZealandManaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Wellington 6011, New ZealandManaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Hamilton 3216, New ZealandManaaki Whenua—Landcare Research, Hamilton 3216, New ZealandMuch land has been cleared of indigenous forest for pastoral agriculture worldwide. In New Zealand, the clearance of indigenous forest on hill country has resulted in high food production, but waterways have become turbid, with high nutrient and <i>E. coli</i> concentrations. A range of on-farm mitigations are available, but it is unclear how they should be applied catchment-wide. We have developed a catchment-scale model that integrates economics with ecosystem services to find a better balance between agriculture and nature. In the upper Wairua catchment, Northland, if three actions are prioritised—(1) keeping stock out of streams, (2) constructing flood retention bunds in first-order catchments, and (3) planting trees on highly erodible land—then sediment loads, <i>E. coli</i> levels, and flooding are significantly reduced. Implementing these actions would cost approximately 10% of catchment net revenue, so it is feasible with a combination of regulation and subsidy. Many catchments in New Zealand are primarily pastoral agriculture, as in other countries (in North and South America, Australasia, and the United Kingdom), and would benefit from the analysis presented here to guide development along sustainable pathways. While pastoral agriculture typically stresses waterways, with increased sedimentation and freshwater contaminants, much can be done to mitigate these effects with improved farm and riparian management.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1482land clearingland use and land coverpastoral farmingecosystem servicescatchment-scale modelenvironmental outputs |
| spellingShingle | John R. Dymond Adam J. Daigneault Olivia R. Burge Chris C. Tanner Fiona E. Carswell Suzie Greenhalgh Anne-Gaelle E. Ausseil Norman W. H. Mason Beverley R. Clarkson Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature Land land clearing land use and land cover pastoral farming ecosystem services catchment-scale model environmental outputs |
| title | Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature |
| title_full | Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature |
| title_fullStr | Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature |
| title_short | Searching for Balance between Hill Country Pastoral Farming and Nature |
| title_sort | searching for balance between hill country pastoral farming and nature |
| topic | land clearing land use and land cover pastoral farming ecosystem services catchment-scale model environmental outputs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/8/1482 |
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