By protecting natural habitats and carefully managing farmland and forests, we can help nature to help us.

Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air as they grow, so planting trees is one of the best ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Trees also provide shade and shelter and help absorb water, supporting our resilience to climate impacts such as hot days, strong winds and floods.  

Nature is also being affected by our changing climate, so growing more native plants and regenerating natural buffers, like sand dunes, wetlands, riverside and hillside planting, can help natural ecosystems withstand impacts and help protect us, too.  

Worth a thought 

  • Christchurch has over 1,200 parks and gardens, and more than 60,000 street trees growing throughout the city.  
  • Christchurch City Council was one of the first councils in New Zealand to declare a climate and ecological emergency, in 2019, to reflect the urgency and importance of these connected issues.  
  • It takes 10 years for one hectare of newly planted native forest to absorb 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air.  
  • We’re aiming to nearly double the total canopy cover of Christchurch City by planting more trees in parks and streets.  

What you can do 

Ways to help lower emissions:

Help out in local parks  

We regularly hold planting and clean-up days in parks throughout Christchurch. Volunteering can be fun and rewarding for you, your family, friends or workmates. Learn more about and sign up to clean up(external link). 

Green your garden 

Planting your garden with trees and shrubs is a great way to encourage nature into your garden. Discover the native plants well suited to your location based on our ecosystem map of Christchurch(external link). Our streamside planting guide(external link) provides a list of plants well-suited alongside streams. 

Help manage weeds and pests  

Weeds and pests continue to threaten our unique plants and animals and, as our climate changes, this harm can increase, and new pests may arrive. Many communities are helping to become pest-free. Find out if your local area is involved at Predator Free NZ(external link). 

What we’re doing 

We’ve been protecting and restoring important natural ecosystems because of the many benefits it provide our environment and community. Key efforts have focused on protecting areas of significant indigenous biodiversity, managing pests, restoring waterways, wetlands and coastal areas, planting trees and shrubs throughout the city and working with community and environmental groups to help achieve these outcomes.  

Planting more trees in parks and streets  

We currently maintain over 1,200 parks and gardens in Christchurch and over 60,000 street trees. Through our Urban Forest Plan(external link), we’re aiming to nearly double the total tree canopy cover in the city, focusing on areas with the least number of trees. 

Restoring the Ōtākaro Avon River

Following the Canterbury Earthquakes, we’re restoring the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor(external link) by planting an estimated 4 million plants, improving our ability to withstand floods and sea-level rise through wetland and waterway enhancements.

Greening Christchurch with volunteers and local nurseries

Each year, we grow 300,000 plants in our nurseries. With the help of other local nurseries, such as Trees for Canterbury and community volunteers, an estimated 500,000 plants are planted in Christchurch each year. Learn more about our planting events.(external link)

Providing environmental education 

Our Learning Through Action(external link) programme has been teaching children, parents and teachers in Christchurch for around 20 years. Over the last five years, we’ve reached more than 65,000 students and parents from 200 schools.  

Partnering for the environment  

We partner with a wide range of groups to deliver environmental projects across the district, like the Rod Donald Trust, the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, the Community Waterways Partnership(external link) and the Whaka-Ora Healthy Lyttelton Harbour Partnership(external link). They are all helping to restore nature and to grow natural resilience to climate impacts.