Nelson’s land cover profile is characterised by a predominance of forest cover (both indigenous and exotic) and a mix of other land covers (e.g., grassland/other herbaceous vegetation, scrub/shrubland, and urban/bare/lightly-vegetated surfaces. A small portion, one percent, of the region’s land cover is influenced by the ultramafic, mineral soils of the Dun Mountain Mineral Belt resulting in naturally bare and lightly vegetated surfaces. Between 1996 and 2018, exotic grassland and exotic scrub/shrubland have decreased in area whereas urban area, exotic forest, and indigenous scrub/shrubland have increased in area. This relates to a change in land use from pastoral and horticultural land to urban land as a result of a growing population and the need for more housing (19% increase), greater investment in forestry, and an increased awareness, and interest in regeneration of natural ecosystems for biodiversity purposes.
Nelson’s land cover profile is characterised by:
The key changes in land cover between 1996 and 2018 in the Nelson region are:
The likely drivers and potential implications of the changes are: