Climate change will lead to longer periods of drought

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Drought

As Waitaha/Canterbury's climate warms, the likelihood of drought is expected to increase, and areas that are already dry (such as the Mackenzie Country) will get even drier.

Historically, Waitaha/Canterbury has experienced about 200-250 dry days per year.

We can see the effect of this in the golden hues of our landscape.

The drying of our region over the next century is expected to be gradual, with some districts more affected than others.

Longer hot and dry summers, milder winters with less snowfall, less annual rainfall and stronger winds may become the norm, and rivers and streams may have lower flow reliability when it is drier.

Impacts from droughts can ripple through districts affecting the environment, the health of a community and the economy. Areas that rely on rainwater for drinking and other uses like pasture growth can be especially hard-hit.

Drought can also significantly impact our native flora and fauna, causing native trees to die and be replaced by more drought-tolerant introduced species, increasing the risk of wildfires.

This directly reduces the food resources of species that are reliant on our native ecosystems to survive, putting the richness of our biodiversity at risk.