Tongariro Alpine Crossing environmental impact assessment report
DOC analysed and reported on the potential environmental impact of a range of annual visitor numbers (limits) to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

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Environmental impact assessment report: Tongariro Alpine Crossing visitor sustainability (1,725K)

Report summary

This report used new and existing data, including environmental DNA sampling and records about waste management, and focusses on two areas:

  • Potential visitor impacts on flora, fauna, and waterways.
  • Limits of visitor infrastructure (toilets and tracks) to manage impacts.

The work done so far provides a baseline data set. Further monitoring is needed over several years to establish robust trends and greater insights.

The report finds that:

  • The main environmental impacts of visitors to the TAC are from human waste, rubbish, and the potential spread of weeds. The impact of current visitor numbers is low to moderate and mainly localised around the track. However, further monitoring is needed to confirm the status of native and exotic species identified through baseline sampling.
  • Installation of new toilets on the TAC has been the main way to mitigate and manage the impact of human waste. But increased frequency of removing toilets waste using helicopters creates higher carbon emissions, increased costs, and higher risk of spillage. More work is needed to determine the carrying capacity of the visitor & toilet facilities.
  • Most track damage arises from weather events and natural erosion, which will be accelerated by climate change. Visitor numbers can also speed up track erosion, and higher activity levels impact on track standards over time. Sustainable funding for track maintenance in this context is an ongoing challenge.
  • The report findings do not provide a definitive visitor carrying capacity limit. Further monitoring is required.