Primary producers are starting to realise that there cannot be a quality product without a quality environment over the long term. Some of the most graphic examples of unsustainable land-use is in the marginal high country pastoral runs of the East Coast and Manawatu-Wanganui regions. Here intensification and bush clearance over a number of years has resulted in severe erosion causing soil loss, siltation of waterways, down stream flooding, loss of water quality and ultimately loss of productivity and income. In the Manawatu-Wanganui floods of 2004, Horizions Regional Council reported that there was a 90% reduction in the amount of landslide scars on forest covered steep land when compared to pasture (State of the Environment Report, 2005).

Landowners are now starting to realise that retiring these marginal (i.e. largely unproductive) areas from production into vegetation has a positive flow on effect to their property on a number of different fronts. Some improvements include: increased land stability, soil condition and water quality; more shelter for stock; improved plant, soil and species biodiversity and a reduction of inputs (i.e. physical and financial). These numerous improvements in the underlying ecological framework of the property also improve the general amenity and character of the land.

DJSA Ltd has a strong land management ethic that has evolved from its rural origins. We have been involved in land-use capability analysis for the rural sector for over 20 years. Farm plans consist of many components that are then analysed and weighted to produce a land use capability map. Our in-house ESRI ArcGIS (Geographical Information Systems) capacity makes our analysis accurate and efficient, and is an important component of our work.

Characteristics typically assessed on a property include, but are not limited to: geology, soil types, slope, aspect, erosion severity, vegetation, hydrology, land management practices, planning provisions, cultural/heritage, cadastral boundaries, and any wider contextual linkages (i.e. habitat, vegetation and nutrient cycles). This analysis and evaluation provides the blueprint for the sustainable management of the land resource through a set of recommendations. Contact the office at DJ Scott Associates Limited for more information on land management strategies.