NzOnet, a nitrous oxide research network for New Zealand

Abstract

Agricultural soils are generally considered to be the main source of N₂0 emissions in New Zealand, but national scale estimates to date are surrounded by uncertainty. In August 1999, a workshop on N₂0 emissions from agricultural soils was held at Lincoln University as part of a project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The aim was to identify future research needs which will ensure that New Zealand can meet its international commitments under the Kyoto protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). Once this protocol is ratified, New Zealand will become legally committed to limit its greenhouse gas emissions, including N₂0 emissions from soils. Under the FCCC, New Zealand is also required to annually report its greenhouse gas inventory, using either the 1996 Revised Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 1997), or an established national methodology provided the method is sufficiently justified. To ensure an integrated and collaborative approach to future research efforts, a focus group was established, with representatives from all major institutions and geographical regions, to develop a collaborative research strategy. NzOnet was born.