“Through this partnership, Christchurch will receive approximately $2.9 million in funding to deliver two research projects in the OARC.

The projects will focus on:

Establishing plantings of native species to improve biodiversity and climate resilience, while developing models for renewable harvesting in the biomaterials sector.

Testing soil amendments like biochar and microbial additions to enrich depleted soils, enhance carbon sequestration and measure changes in soil health.”