A pilot study on unifying terrestrial ecosystem typologies in Aotearoa New Zealand

National policy and global initiatives have renewed interest in ecosystem classification in Aotearoa New Zealand. This talk focuses on terrestrial ecosystems and the move toward a unified national typology—a consistent, cross-domain approach for classifying ecosystems. Two existing terrestrial typologies are currently used and offer complementary strengths. We discuss a pilot study in Northland where we assessed their alignment, data availability, and coverage to support eventual integration, aiming to enhance national consistency and usability, and improve compatibility with global classification frameworks.