Putting the case for ‘bottom up’
Mostly we get rid of introduced predators by, well – killing predators. It works, up to a point. But if you can’t get rid of…
Open Source is key to bringing back the cacophony
Early New Zealand was noisy. Cook and his crew experienced a ‘cacophony of sound’ on their first voyage. It’s that loud, raucous, exuberance which Banks…
Liberation of stoats and weasels – a look back in time
Why did they do it? What possessed New Zealand’s government of the day, its citizens and acclimatisation societies to introduce rabbits and then stoats? It’s…
Icy beginning for Mapua Dawn Chorus
Mapua Dawn Chorus held an open day recently to kick off their backyard trapping. There’s already an extensive trapping network around the nearby Waimea estuary,…
Genetic diversity – what do we know about kea?
Kea numbers are decreasing. Nesting adult females, their eggs and chicks are highly at risk from mammal predators. But are there other, invisible risks too?…
Whiteheads rejoin Bream Head dawn chorus
There’s a new song being sung in the Bream Head dawn chorus and it’s being sung by a 100-strong choir of ‘bush canaries’. In May…
PCE Report – More $$ for conservation, more support for groups
“Nearly 2 million tourists came to New Zealand last year. Few if any came to go shopping,” says Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan…
PCE Report – Birds need habitat and lots of it!
Preserving, restoring and creating habitats for our wildlife doesn’t just mean planting trees and saving forests. It’s not just nature reserves and national parks. Braided…
PCE Report – Research priorities and future promise
Developments in genetic science may give us the ultimate predator-free breakthrough one day, but we can’t sit back and wait for that to happen. “If…
Kiwibank funding inspires Karaka Bay community spirit
The small Auckland community of Karaka Bay is only just getting started on their backyard trapping programme but they’re already noticing a difference in their…
PCE Report – Where’s the plan?
Jan Wright, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has written a comprehensive assessment of the current state of New Zealand’s birds – a taonga of our…
PCE Report — 5 Things You Need to Know
Last week Dr. Jan Wright released her penultimate report as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Titled “Taonga of an island nation”. It has been widely…
Kiwibank helps launch Picton backyard trapping initiative
When Picton organisers heard they’d won a competition to become a Kiwibank Predator Free Community earlier this year, they called a public meeting – and…
Study investigates kiwi call count parameters
Kiwi call counts are an important monitoring tool in kiwi recovery projects, but just how accurate are they? The time of night you choose, the…
Tangihua Lions Lodge expands its outdoor programme to combat predators
Gerald Mannion has a story about the ‘moment of truth’ when he and fellow Tangihua Lions Lodge trustees realised just how much damage introduced predators…
