Sheep and beef farming, concentrated in the hillcountry, has an important role in the regional economy.
Approximately 880 sheep and beef farms in Taranaki stock approximately 679,000 sheep and 131,000 beef cattle.
The Council works alongside hillcountry landowners to promote sustainable land management practices. Key tools in the work include Comprehensive Farm Plans and Agroforestry Plans.
To the end of June 2008, the Council's land management staff had prepared a total of 293 comprehensive farm plans and agroforestry plans covering 173,957 ha of the 308,240 ha of hillcountry land in private ownership, or around 56%.
Good progress was also noted in the latest in a five-yearly monitoring programme by Landcare Research.
Under contract to the Council, Landcare Research made a detailed analysis of 25 representative hillcountry sites, each of around 900 ha, that were also the subject of similar monitoring in 1994 and 2000. The study involved the use of aerial photography to map vegetation and land-use.
The conclusion: 87.4% of the monitoring area is now being used sustainably, up from 85% in 2000 and 83.9% in 1994.
The map at right shows the area covered by comprehensive farm plans and agroforestry plans at June 2009 (click on map for large version).