Новые исследования: фермеры Новой Зеландии требуют финансовой выгоды для восстановления лесов

Hamish White (left) and Dean Palmer planting new seedlings at Hinetai Hops, Motueka. Photo / Hudson Dodd, TNC Most farmers and other rural landowners in New Zealand need to see financial returns to enable native forest restoration on their land, according to recent research. Commissioned by The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa New Zealand (TNC NZ) and carried out by the Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, the research analysed landownerpreferences from a survey and in-depth interviews with farmers and landowners across New Zealand. Dr Erik van Eyndhoven, country lead for TNC, said the research was part of the organisation’s work aimed at significantly expanding native restoration through making it more attractive for landowners. “Many landowners are keen to see more natives on their properties, but many things make this difficult to make happen,” he said. He said the research aimed to identify what would encourage landowners to participate in native restoration in a significant way. “We know farmers are interested in restoration given their close relationship with the land, but we also hear them say they need support to commit more time and energy to work that will prevent soil erosion and enhance biodiversity, freshwater quality and climate resilience.” Van Eyndhoven said the research report also found that some farmers valued non-monetary support, such as expert advice, more than financial incentives. “In the interviews, we found most satisfied farmers describe relationships with dedicated land management officers who provide support over multiple years, rather than one-off grants. “Farmers want practical field support rather than theory.” However, the research found that across all three revegetation types – native reforestation, wetland restoration, and planting on riverbanks – most landowners needed to receive a financial return to participate in revegetation programmes. Van Eyndhoven said this reflected what TNC heard directly from landowners: their time, energy and financial resources were already thinly stretched. “But we see enthusiasm in rural communities to do what they can regardless.” He said an example of this was the Moutere catchment in Tasman District, where more than 200 rural landowners had taken up replanting opportunities provided by Te Tauihu Environment Trust. “They received some assistance with plants and materials but carried out the planting and maintenance themselves.” Over 40% of survey respondents had already participated in restoration projects to some degree. Many of the farmers interviewed sought a balance between economic drivers and enhancing the environment. Long-term aspirations frequently centred on legacy, leaving the land “in better condition than we found it” and creating something future generations could be proud of. 85% of survey respondents who expressed willingness to participate in a revegetation programme cited improving biodiversity and native habitat as a reason for doing so. 79% were motivated to improve the land for future generations. 71% wanted to improve the quality of their waterways. The disconnect between short-term funding and the longer timeframe needed for plantings to be established creates persistent problems for landowners. “Many interviewees expressed frustration that initial planting costs may be covered by grants but ongoing maintenance is an unsustainable financial and labour burden,” van Eyndhoven said. “The cost of fencing off areas under restoration is a major concern.” He said farmers wanted support arrangements to have clearly defined boundaries, and were concerned with loss of control and permanent restrictions on land use. “The farmers interviewed consistently emphasised the need to keep ultimate decision-making authority over their land, resisting approaches that felt imposed, restrictive or prescriptive. “The survey confirmed this: longer-term legal commitments, such as those used in carbon credit projects, reduced willingness to participate across all three revegetation types.” Van Eyndhoven said the ability to generate income from land remained paramount for most, making proposals to retire productive land impractical unless there was compensation. “This research will inform our work on seeking ways to finance and support restoration work, initially with the catchment-level study underway in the Tasman District with the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, enabled by the support of the Rātā Foundation and others.” Read the report “Choice modelling for native revegetation incentives in Aotearoa New Zealand” here.