Rats, mice and 264,457 tracking records shed light on rodent dynamics
Researchers Susan Walker, Joshua Kemp, Graeme Elliott, Corey Mosen and John Innes used 264,457 rodent tracking records collected quarterly from 23,709 tracking tunnel stations in…
Many-legged giant predator stalks NZ forests
‘Giantism’ is a bit of a thing on isolated islands – Aotearoa/New Zealand once had its giant eagle and giant moa – and we still…
‘Wine wētā’ makes itself at home in Marlborough vineyards
It’s not often you hear of native species benefitting from human modifications of its habitat – but one little-known wētā species has gone against trend…
Aaron and Raine team up to tackle predators at Shelly Beach
On the Coromandel Peninsula, individuals and organisations are coming together to tackle predators and protect the local wildlife and stunning surroundings. This is just one…
When economics meets ecology – assessing the ‘ecosystem services’ of farmland
Wetland areas and covenanted bush blocks on farms have a clear ecological value, but do they have an economic value as well? The answer is…
Study looks at kiore when rival rat species absent
The kiore is Aotearoa’s first, smallest and sometimes overlooked rat. It was also our first introduced mammal predator, arriving about 750 years ago with seafaring…
Tūī numbers treble in predator control study
When you remove predators from islands and restore forest habitat, the expectation is that native forest birds will flourish and that the new ‘improved’ conditions…
Underground giant glows in the dark but is rarely seen
Aucklanders, next time you go for a walk in the forest, spare a thought for what might be living just below your feet. For instance,…
Blue Mountains study shows 1080 effective – even for hedgehogs, mice
In the past there’s been some uncertainty over the effectiveness of large-scale aerial 1080 operations to control mice and little is known about its effect…
Native bats may have fern dispersal role
University of Auckland researchers, James Brock and Kathleen Collier, have discovered yet another reason why we really should appreciate our native bat species. It seems…
Dave Edwards aims to make Sentinel possum traps more user friendly
Traps need a powerful spring mechanism to kill humanely and that can make them difficult and a bit daunting to set, especially traps designed for…
Catching feral cats on camera
Feral cats are nocturnal, elusive creatures and can cover a lot of ground. They can range up to 6 kilometres, making monitoring difficult. So how…
Ancient totara dune forest becomes new Southland reserve
In the far south of the South Island, in Otatara, Southland, there is a totara dune forest where ancient trees bend and twist and brace…
Study compares beetle and wētā responses to mammal eradication
Wētā are one of our most studied insects and are regarded as ‘bioindicators’ of the health of forest ecosystems. So when introduced predators – including…
No easy answers, but eradication efforts ongoing for Resolution Island
When the Resolution Island Stoat Eradication Programme began in Dusky Sound, Fiordland in 2008 no-one said it would be easy and, 12 years later there…
