# Land Use Change Assessor tool

_Explore the environmental, economic and social implications of land use scenarios with Bay of Plenty Regional Council's LUCA tool._

Water quality across the Bay of Plenty is influenced by how land is used and managed over time. The Land Use Change Assessor (LUCA) tool helps people explore the possible effects of different land use change scenarios.

The LUCA tool was developed by Bay of Plenty Regional Council to help users compare “what-if” land use scenarios. The tool works at the Freshwater Management Unit (FMU), catchment, or custom catchment scale and allows the comparison of economic, environmental and social wellbeing.

The best available data and assumptions have been used to build this tool.

The tool is designed to support discussion, learning and early thinking about land use change. It can help catchment groups, landowners, tangata whenua, councils, planners and communities compare options and identify where more detailed analysis or engagement may be needed. For example, users can explore how changing erosion-prone pasture to forestry could affect nutrient losses, greenhouse gas emissions, employment, income, biodiversity, water quality and other indicators across a catchment.

The tool is **not** a predictive model and has not been designed to support regulatory proposals or regulatory decision-making. Its results are indicative only and should not be used as exact forecasts, property-level assessments, compliance assessments, for regulatory limits, or as a substitute for professional advice.

## The LUCA tool can help you

- explore different land use change scenarios
- test different assumptions and see how results change
- examine the environmental, economic and social effects of different land uses
- understand trade-offs and co-benefits of different land use choices
- discuss scenarios within communities, catchment groups and organisations
- identify where more detailed local information may be needed.

## Important things to know before using the LUCA tool

Results should be treated as indicative. They show the likely direction and approximate scale of change based on assumptions used in the tool.

The tool is intended as a conversation starter and should be used alongside local knowledge, expert advice and other information.

## Before you get started

We recommend reading the **LUCA User Guide** before using the tool.

The User Guide explains how to use the LUCA tool, how to interpret the results, and what the tool should and should not be used for. The Technical Report provides more detail on the methodology, assumptions, indicators and limitations behind the tool.