Taiao
Environment Data Insights
Murihiku Southland is characterised by its diverse and striking natural landscapes, which feature lush rainforests, rugged coastlines, and picturesque fiords.
The region constitutes 12% of New Zealand’s land mass with 58% designated as public conservation estate, predominantly Fiordland National Park and Rakiura National Park. There are 3,612 kms of coastline and three per cent of Murihiku Southland’s land cover is surface water including six of Aotearoa New Zealand’s 25 largest lakes (by surface area). There are tens of thousands of kilometres of rivers and streams, including the Waiau, Aparima, Ōreti, and Mataura rivers.
Below are some key indicators with more information on data sources available in the Technical Glossary and via links to other dashboards.
Regional Emissions Inventory
In 2018, a baseline emission inventory (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) for the Murihiku Southland region was established. This highlighted that there are multiple contributions to the regional net emissions profile, including individuals, communities, businesses, and industries. Murihiku Southland’s net emission profile indicated that with 12% of New Zealand’s total land area and producing about 12% of New Zealand’s pastoral exports, Southland contributed only 9.5% of New Zealand’s net emissions.
The inventory has been repeated annually by Great South with a progressive downward trend in regional net emissions compared to the 2018 baseline. The Southland Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for 2022 - Summary Report showed that Southland emissions decreased to 8.4% of New Zealand’s net emissions, which is a 14.8% reduction from the 2018 baseline – as seen in the below chart.
