2023 Highlights: Science NZ Awards

We were delighted to be at the Science NZ Awards in December - a fabulous evening spent with friends and colleagues, celebrating our achievements. Manaaki Whenua winners in three different categories went forward to vie for the Science NZ Supreme Award.

Dan Richards – Early Career Researcher

Dr Dan Richards joined Manaaki Whenua Research in 2021 to develop new research on climatesmart landscapes. This includes understanding how terrestrial landscapes can support climate adaptation in Aotearoa New Zealand as well as integrating objectives of climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and multiple benefits to people.

Dan has fundamental knowledge of landscape processes like connectivity and the importance of habitat and land configuration. This is underpinned by his international experience in the conceptual foundations and practice of ecosystem service quantification across a variety of environments from native to urban ecosystems.

His research addresses knowledge gaps on how to manage our landscapes to mitigate trade-offs and increase synergies among adaptation, mitigation and biodiversity.

Importantly, Dan understands the importance of collaboration and engagement, especially to access datasets crucial for advancing research. Throughout his scientific career, he has engaged with people from multiple organisations as evidenced by his multi-author papers and global research networks.

Chris Phillips – Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr Chris Phillips is a Senior Researcher in Erosion Processes at Manaaki Whenua with professional expertise in erosion research and integrated catchment management. His scientific knowledge on soil bioengineering and its application to erosion and sediment control has informed central and regional government policy development, including sustainable land management policy.

By providing the expertise and understanding of sediment sources and transport pathways within a forest and over a rotation, Chris has helped the New Zealand forest industry formulate guidelines and practices to minimise the effects on the environment. He has also assisted the forest industry with consent and Environment Court hearings.

Chris’s work has also helped support several groups including the Integrated Kaiprara Harbour Management Group (IKHMG), and groups in Motueka and Christchurch to engage their local communities to address environmental issues.

The Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) Land Use Map (LUM) 2020 Team – Team Research Award

Manaaki Whenua’s Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) Land Use Map (LUM) 2020 Team has made a substantial contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand’s environmental and scientific endeavours, particularly in the context of climate change reporting and emissions monitoring.

LUM provides a comprehensive and consistent time series of land use change data. These changes often occur at small scale relative to total land area, making precise measurement challenging. However, the LUM Team has adopted a meticulous approach, achieving high accuracy that supports New Zealand’s carbon accounting in line with international agreements.

In LUM 2020, an impressive five times the amount of land use change areas were included, impacting one third of all mapped LUM areas. New techniques included deep learning AI, time-series vegetation analysis of cultivation effects, sophisticated automation of spatial data editing, web-based data systems and a range of research-driven improvements to mapping processes.

These methodologies adhere to requirements of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Good Practice Guidance (IPCCGPG). LUM 2020 is due for public release in April 2024.

Main Collaborator: Ministry for the Environment

Beneficiaries: LUM plays a core role in the national carbon account, a reporting requirement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The previous 2016 LUM dataset has been downloaded 4,500 times from the MfE website by a wide range of users.