Policy changes to support indigenous forests - NZIER Insight 118

Indigenous forests in New Zealand could get a boost with a few changes to government policy. New work by NZIER describes the challenges that indigenous forests face from market forces and government decisions.

Improving the Emissions Trading Scheme, accounting for biodiversity, and continuing the work with freshwater policy are all ways to support indigenous forests. These measures would help balance the incentives for different land uses and improve wellbeing in New Zealand.

This work follows on from an earlier report by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge that described how incentives promote the growth of pine plantations.