Integrated Catchment Management

Land

Erosion in upper catchment

Erosion in upper catchment

Introduction

Rainfall is strongly modified by the land on which it falls. Vegetation and soils retain, absorb, and retard rainfall as it travels to streams and rivers. Consequently, the characteristics of rain "flow" differ substantially from the characteristics of river flow.

Similarly, the chemical composition of rain water changes as it comes in contact with vegetation, soils, and rocks on its way to rivers. It makes sense then, that different types of vegetation, soils, and rocks should influence the quantity and quality of river water differently. This will be true no matter how the land is used. However, it is also clear that if the same land is used differently - for example, as farm land rather than native bush - one might expect the quantity and quality of river flow to differ in response. Some of these change may be acceptable and others may not.

Deciding how changes in the land will affect the characteristics of streams and rivers - and the coastal areas into which they flow - is a difficult task. It is especially difficult if the land characteristics and the land use patterns are complicated, as is almost always the case in large regions.

Successful management of these challenges requires an appreciation for a wide range of physical, biological, and chemical processes and the ways in which they interact.

The purpose of this theme in our programme is to develop a firm understanding about the influences that past, current, and future land uses have on the quantity and quality of water in the Motueka River.

Researchable Issues

Research Areas

Lower reaches of the Motueka River valley Forest harvesting

Lower reaches of the Motueka River valley

Forest harvesting


Publications (Selection)

Year Title File Size
2002 Soil properties and hydrological processes on Moutere gravels, Nelson. pdf       73KB
2002 Moutere Valley Groundwater: Nature and Recharge from Isotopes and Chemistry. pdf       1.24MB
2006 Forestry and water yield: the New Zealand example pdf       567KB
2008 Collaboration and Modelling for Building Resilience – Tools for Integration in the Motueka HELP Catchment pdf       1.73MB
2011 The Sherry River – a Success Story 2.97MB
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Presentations (Selection)

Year Title File Size
2006 Motuiko Water Augmentation options pdf       2.54MB
2006 Managing land uses in harmony with freshwater resources.  
2005 Tracking change in the Motueka using ENVISAT. pdf       4.05MB
2006 A natural catchment source for Ni & Cr-enriched sediments delivered to Tasman Bay. pdf       481KB
2005 Do we know how much river gravel is gained or lost through extraction? pdf       218KB
More presentations on this topic »
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Primary Contacts:


Image - Les Basher Les Basher  EmailSend email to BasherL
Phone: 03 545 7708
Fax: 03 546 1082
More details»
Institute
Landcare Research
Expertise
Soil science, geomorphology, erosion processes
Image - Tim Davie Tim Davie  EmailSend email to tim.davie
Phone: 03 372 7084
Fax: +64 (0)3 365 3194
More details»
Institute
Environment Canterbury
Expertise
Hydrology & modelling, surface water resource management
Image - Andrew Fenemor Andrew Fenemor  EmailSend email to fenemora
Phone: 03 545 7710
More details»
Institute
Landcare Research
Expertise
ICM programme management; local liaison; resource management; hydrology and water resource management
Image - Chris Phillips Chris Phillips  EmailSend email to phillipsc
Phone: +64 3 321 9775
More details»
Institute
Landcare Research
Expertise
Erosion processes, slope stability, effects of forestry, catchment management, knowledge management
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Page last updated Tuesday, 7 August 2007

Research areas

Dating groundwater Farm environmental planning Fine sediment: bringing the geomorphology and biology together Forest harvesting effects Gravel extraction Mechanisms of groundwater recharge Riparian classification Riparian vegetation assessment Riparian vegetation enhancement River bank styles Sediment generation, delivery and impacts Stabilising characteristics of native plants Tall vegetation effects on water yield Upper Motueka water resources Water augmentation

Research Highlight

FRST research reviews Native plant roots Native plant trials in the Sherry River – how are they going? Sherry River water quality improvement Tracing Sediment from the mountains to the Bay