The climate is changing in Aotearoa New Zealand and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. These changes are already affecting our natural and built environments.
DOC has a Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan (CCAAP) that outlines the actions DOC will take to reduce the risks posed by our changing climate between 2020/21 and 2024/25.
It has a focus on protecting New Zealand's biodiversity, heritage and DOC-managed visitor infrastructure.
Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan (12,290K)
We now have a new version of the action tables that were updated in August 2022.
The action tables reflect updated lead groups and delivery timeframes.
Climate change adaptation action plan – updated action tables 2022-2025 (PDF, 1,279K)
Climate change threatens New Zealand’s unique natural landscapes and nature. It is a significant risk for DOC that already affects every aspect of our work.
The direct effects include damage to infrastructure or habitat caused by a rising sea level and more frequent storm and flood events. Indirect effects include the shifting of habitats and species distributions, including the movement of potentially invasive species into new areas.
Changing climate conditions will also affect tourism distribution patterns and visitor risks in many locations used for outdoor recreation.
As the climate continues to change over the coming decades, we expect ongoing atmospheric and ocean warming, elevated fire risks, more storm surges, more extreme precipitation events, longer droughts, ocean acidification, continued sea-level rise and new land-use demands, such as from adaptations to water shortages or carbon sequestration efforts (e.g. tree planting).
Extreme weather events around the country highlight our vulnerability to changing weather patterns. Examples include:
The CCAAP identified 139 actions for implementation from 2020 to 2025.
The CCAAP is DOC’s pathway to reducing the risks associated with climate change and increasing our resilience to current and future climate changes.
It is intended to guide planning, resource prioritisation and operational work.
Since its inception in 2020, many CCAAP actions are in progress or complete.
This includes setting up programme management, undertaking climate assessments to support recovery following weather events, a coastal inundation risk assessment for all DOC assets, and detailed analyses of vulnerability of a coastal lagoon and native frog species to climate change.
The plan also gives effect to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi under Section 4 of the Conservation Act.
It informs all aspects of DOC’s work, including statutory documents, national policy statements, internal strategies, business systems and management practice.