This project brings together biological and social scientists, iwi, farmers and local communities throughout the country. By working together, we can understand the current state (biophysical, social, cultural and political) of biodiversity on sheep and beef farms.
From there we can quantify all the costs and benefits (not just monetary) of improving biodiversity, and determine the best composition and spatial arrangement of land use that would benefit both our farms and our native flora and fauna.
If we can create a way to improve biodiversity in agroecosystems while improving the performance of the farm as a business, we can make conservation goals much more achievable for New Zealand’s sheep and beef farmers.
Aotearoa will always rely on primary production and native biodiversity – it’s about time they started working together!
Our goals
To gain a holistic view of how biodiversity is perceived and managed on sheep and beef farms in New Zealand.
To understand the roles biodiversity plays on these farms with respect to ecological processes, economic outcomes and human well-being.
To determine how biodiversity can be managed in agroecosystems in the future, in a way that will benefit both farming and native biodiversity.
Key Research Questions
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What are the critical social and cultural factors that influence the way native biodiversity is managed in agroecosystems?
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What are the costs and benefits of retaining existing, and incorporating new, native biodiversity in agroecosystems?
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How does the composition and spatial arrangement of habitat in the farming landscape affect the functioning of native biodiversity?
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Can the role of ecological processes, land use change and management decisions be modelled to predict change in the functioning of native biodiversity?
