Flood impacts on agriculture under climate change: The case of the Awanui catchment, New Zealand

The study assess the economic and environmental impacts on agriculture of flooding under projected climate change, including land-use change as an adaption response to floods. The case study area is the Awanui catchment located in the far north of New Zealand, where flooding is a significant hazard. The study uses an integrated approach and combines spatial information on agricultural exposure and damage from flooding, economic land-use modelling, and valuation approaches.

The results show areas with flood exposure and damage costs increase with projected climate change. As an adaptation measure to reduce flood damage costs, pastoral farms convert to other land uses, mainly to unfarmed land. Flooding reduces the net revenue for the catchment, while it can result in some reduction of environmental pollution.