Ecosystem-based solutions for climate change adaptation in rural landscapes of NZ

This report describes ways that nature can support farm systems to adapt to a future under climate change. Pastures that are more diverse, for example, or farming systems that include trees and shrubs, would promote plant communities that are more stable and resilient to climate extremes.

This report outlines opportunities that might arise from adopting regenerative agriculture. Could ‘regenerative’ farming systems be more likely to evolve new ways to adapt to increasing pressure from climate change, or better nurture New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna in a future climate?

Adaptation occurs through actions and decisions made in order to limit the occurrence, and reduce, buffer, and repair the impacts, of multiple climate change direct drivers (e.g. increased temperatures means and extremes, changed precipitation regimes) and indirect drivers (e.g. more frequent fires or floods, exotic species invasions) on farm systems. This report exemplifies how the focus on nature’s contributions to adaptation can be synergistic with the objectives of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) in New Zealand.