Land Cover

Land Area (km2): 9,958
Temperature (0C) : 3-10
Rainfall (mm): 300-1,200

Population(1) : 16,647
Population Density(2) : 1.7
Sunshine (hrs) : 1,700-2,100

Note: All climatic values show the maximum and minimum mean annual figure found within the geographical area of the administering authority. For example, a low mean annual temperature might occur within a mountainous area compared to a higher mean annual temperature on the coast.
(1) Population is the usually resident population at the 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings.
(2) People per square kilometre of land (excludes all inland water bodies over 0.15km2)

Figure 2: Composition of Central Otago District’s landscape and national significance of individual components

Land Cover Type	Central Otago District		New Zealand		Percentage of New Zealand total
Land Cover Type	Hectares	Percentage of total area	Hectares	Percentage of total area	Percentage of New Zealand total
Bare Ground	21,748	2.18	1,409,910	5.27	1.54
Coastal Sands	0	0	42,009	0.16	0
Coastal Wetlands	0	0	20,039	0.07	0
Horticultural Land	1,404	0.14	45,392	0.17	3.09
Indigenous Forest	1,546	0.16	6,214,886	23.24	0.02
Inland Water	6,831	0.69	409,821	1.53	1.67
Inland Wetlands	4,431	0.44	94,049	0.35	4.71
Mangrove	0	0	22,441	0.08	0
Mines & Dumps	431	0.04	3,307	0.01	13.03
Planted Forests	6,108	0.61	1,608,360	6.01	0.38
Pastoral Land	406,529	40.82	10,361,660	38.75	3.92
Scrub	33,119	3.33	2,678,637	10.02	1.24
Tussock Grassland	512,323	51.45	3,638,515	13.61	14.08
Urban Area	863	0.09	160,155	0.60	0.54
Urban Open Space	509	0.05	31,527	0.12	1.61
Total Area	995,842	100.00	26,740,708	100.00	3.72

Central Otago District’s landscape largely consists of craggy tussock-covered mountain ranges, such as the Dunstan Mountains and the Raggedy Range, interspersed by pastoral land in the valleys and river plains. The Clutha River, New Zealand’s largest river (both in catchment and flow) flows north to south through the district. Central Otago’s gold mining history is still evident in the landscape with the district containing over 13 percent of New Zealand’s mines and dumps.

Other land type covers that are over-represented in Central Otago are Tussock Grassland, Inland Wetlands and Pastoral Land.

Description of Land Cover Types

Bare ground	Non-pastoral exposed soil and rock
Coastal sands	Beach sands and dunes
Coastal wetlands	Coastal areas inundated by salt water
Horticultural land	Includes orchards, kiwifruit and market gardens
Indigenous forest	Forest cover dominated by indigenous tall forest canopy species
Inland water	Lakes, ponds and rivers
Inland wetlands	Inland areas inundated by fresh water
Mangrove	Sea level mangrove swamp land
Mines & dumps	Includes all mines, gravel pits and dump sites
Planted forest	Plantation or exotic forest inclusive of recent replanting, e.g. Pinus radiata, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Eucalyptus spp
Pastoral land	Exotic pasture, enclosure distinguishes this from extensively managed Tussock Grasslands. Also includes arable land
Scrub	Woody vegetation in which the cover of shrubs and trees in the canopy is >20% and in which shrub cover exceeds that of any other growth form or bare ground. Shrubs are woody plants e.g. manuka, kanuka and broom.
Tussock grassland	Includes non-enclosed extensively managed grassland
Urban area	Built up areas, includes any contiguous group of buildings larger than the minimum mapping unit (MMU) of 1ha.
Urban open space	Includes sports fields, parklands, cemeteries etc.

Source: Statistics New Zealand – Quarterly Review Sept 2002.