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  3. Land and soil: monitoring and reporting

Land and soil monitoring in the Waikato

Land use has changed dramatically over the last 150 years. How we manage the land is critical, as it affects erosion rates, soil quality and the habitat of native plants and animals.

Waikato Regional Council regularly monitors and reports on versatility of our region's land and  soil resource, and changes in regional land use.

Our indicators below summarise the results of our science and monitoring programmes, and provide a holistic report on the state of the Waikato region's environment.

Indicators

Soil quality

Waikato Regional Council monitors soil quality to provide information about how particular land uses are affecting soils in the long-term.

Soil stability

The Waikato Regional Council monitors soil stability to get a measure of the quantity of stable soil and how much has been subjected to erosion and has the potential to generate sediment.

Land use

We monitor land use change to get information on where development pressures are likely to be greatest, and to help us identify policy responses to avoid or remedy damage to our soil and water resources.

Pastoral Intensification

Waikato Regional Council monitors pastoral intensification to indicate where there are current and possible future pressures on the environment from livestock farming and the conversion of land from pine forest to pastoral use.

Rural subdivision

Monitoring rural subdivision provides information to territorial authorities (district councils), land developers and the community on increasing land use pressures in the region.

Fertiliser use on farms

Waikato Regional Council monitors changes in pasture fertility and nutrient losses to get information on the trends and risk nutrient losses are likely to have for water quality.

Stock density

Waikato Regional Council uses stock density to indicate where there are current and possible future pressures on the environment from livestock farming. High stock densities can lead to effects on local water quality, stream banks and soil.

Stock access to waterways

The Waikato Regional Council monitors riparian fencing to assess the risk of stock entering waterways.

Stream bank vegetation

Waikato Regional Council monitors stream bank vegetation to quantify what proportion of the region’s riparian margins requires further stream bank vegetation planting.

Peat subsidence

Waikato Regional Council monitors peat subsidence to get an overview of the rate at which drained peat soils are subsiding in the Waikato region.