Nitrous Oxide Emissions from New Zealand Agriculture – key Sources and Mitigation Strategies

In most countries, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions typically contribute less than 10% of the CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In New Zealand, however, this gas contributes 17% of the nation’s total GHG emissions due to the dominance of the agricultural sector. New Zealand’s target under the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels. Currently total GHG emissions are 17% above 1990 levels. The single largest source of N2O emission in New Zealand is animal excreta deposited during grazing (80% of agricultural N2O emissions), while N fertilizer use currently contributes only 14% of agricultural emissions. Nitrogen fertilizer use has, however, increased 4-fold since 1990. Mitigation strategies for reducing N2O emissions in New Zealand focus on (i) reducing the amount of N excreted to pasture, e.g. through diet manipulation; (ii) increasing the N use efficiency of excreta or fertilizer, e.g. through grazing management or use of nitrification inhibitors; or (iii) avoiding soil conditions that favour denitrification e.g. improving drainage and reducing soil compaction. Current estimates suggest that, if fully implemented, these individual measures can reduce agricultural N2O emissions by 7–20%. The highest reduction potentials are obtained from measures that reduce the amount of excreta N, or increase the N use efficiency of excreta or fertilizer. However, New Zealand’s currently used N2O inventory methodology will require refinement to ensure that a reduction in N2O emissions achieved through implementation of any of these mitigation strategies can be fully accounted for. Furthermore, as many of these mitigation strategies also affect other greenhouse gas emissions or other environmental losses, it is crucial that both the economic and total environmental impacts of N2O mitigation strategies are evaluated at a farm system’s level.