National Vegetation Survey (NVS)
National Vegetation Survey (NVS - 'Nivs') databank is a world–leading repository for New Zealand’s plot–based vegetation data describing plant species occurrence and abundance, vegetation structure, and environment.
NVS is a physical archive and computer databank containing records from approximately 77,000 vegetation survey plots, including data from over 19,000 permanent plots.
NVS provides a unique record, spanning more than 50 years, of indigenous and exotic plants in New Zealand's terrestrial ecosystems, from Northland to Stewart Island and the Kermadec and Chatham islands. A broad range of habitats are covered, with special emphasis on indigenous forests and grasslands.
The physical archive includes plot sheets, maps, and photographs from many years of vegetation surveys. Software that was specifically prepared for summarising data and statistical analysis is available.
The original surveys were conducted by the New Zealand Forest Service, Department of Lands & Survey, and the DSIR Botany Division. Ongoing surveys and research by the Department of Conservation, regional councils, universities and Landcare Research are constantly providing new data to NVS. Such widely sourced information collated in one databank is part of the value of NVS to New Zealand. At the same time, the interests of data providers are protected through written agreements that determine access rights to specific datasets within NVS.