New Zealand's Deforestation and Water Resources Situation

The New Zealand Forest Situation
New Zealand is famous for it's agriculture industry, and obviously, to be able to have a successful farming business, you can't have land filled with forest, so it is cleared. In fact, since the first settlers arrived in New Zealand around 800 – 1300 AD, forest cover has been reduced from almost 100% to around 29% today. In the last five years the logging of plantation forests has also sped up dramatically to meet demand for timber and other resources. However, on a global scale, New Zealand's forest cover and deforestation rate are things Kiwis can be proud of.

The Forest and Water Link in New Zealand
As explained in The Big Link (see Earth's Water Resources in Relation to Deforestation) forests have a major role in the supply and quality of water, so it is unsurprising that New Zealand's freshwater is clean and plentiful compared to countries all over the world.
The demand for water is increasing, and so it is inevitable that supplies are drained faster. However, just like the rest of the world, supplies are not the only thing that are dropping. The vast stretches of farmland throughout New Zealand are continuously polluting our rivers and streams with run-off from land and animals. Due to the extra water required to run a farm, the patterns of farmland, water deficit and water quality in New Zealand are like vast blueprints of each other.

What Kiwis Can Do
The best way for New Zealand to improve it's water situation while retaining our agriculture industry is simple; farmers must begin to take far more care with the amount of water that they use, and what they do with their waste. That, combined with all Kiwis taking notice of these issues and being more careful with the water they use will make all the difference towards New Zealand still having plenty of clean, fresh water for generations to come.