ghg-inventory-1990-2013

An analysis of change in area shows that of the 6,449 hectares converted from other land
to different land-use categories, 4,084 hectares were converted to post-1989 forest and
1,304 hectares were converted to grassland with woody biomass.
Between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2013, there were 3,920 hectares of Land
converted to other land; most (2,332 hectares) of this was from the Grassland categories
(table 6.2.4). This is likely to be mainly due to conversion of Grassland to roads, mines
and quarries. Other land was not a key category in 2013.
Table 6.9.1 New Zealand’s land-use change for the land-use category of other land from 1990 to 2013
Land-use category
– other land
Other land remaining
other land
Land in conversion to
other land
Net area
as at 1990
(ha)
Net area
as at 2013
(ha)
Change
from 1990
(%)
Net emissions
(kt CO 2 -e)
1990 2013
Change
from 1990
(%)
897,334 891,099 –0.7 NE NE NA
101 3,910 +3,769.5 7.7 30.8 +298.5
Total 897,436 895,010 –0.3 7.7 30.8 +298.5
Note:
1990 and 2013 area values as at 31 December. Net emission values are for the whole year
indicated. Net emissions for other land remaining other land are not applicable (NA) as
change in carbon stocks and non-CO 2 emissions are not estimated (NE) for this category;
see section 6.9.2 for details. Columns may not total due to rounding.
6.9.2 Methodological issues
Other land remaining other land
The area of Other land has been estimated based on LCDB2. The method used is
described in more detail in section 6.2.
A summary of the New Zealand emission factors and other parameters used to estimate
greenhouse gas emissions for other land is provided in table 6.9.2.
Table 6.9.2
Other land
greenhouse gas
source category
Summary of New Zealand emission factors for the land-use category of other land
Steady state
carbon stock
(t C ha –1 )
Years to
reach steady
state
Carbon stock change on
conversion to other land
(t C ha –1 ) Reference
Biomass NE NA Instantaneous loss of
previous land-use carbon
stock
Soils (mineral) 58.37 20 Linear change over the
conversion period
between new and
previous stock values
Biomass burning NE NA NE
IPCC Tier 1 default
assumption (section
9.3.1, GPG-AFOLU,
IPCC, 2006a)
Section 6.3 of this
submission
Note:
NA = not applicable; NE = not estimated.
Living biomass and dead organic matter
All of New Zealand’s land area in the Other land category is classified as ‘managed’.
New Zealand considers all land to be managed, as all land is under some form of
management plan, regardless of the intensity and/or type of land-management practices.
No guidance is provided in GPG-AFOLU for estimating carbon stocks in living biomass
or dead organic matter for Other land that is managed; therefore the change in carbon
stocks and non-CO 2 emissions is not estimated for this category.
274 New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2013