Maungatautari – a Maori conservation perspective
The kiore appeared and the moa disappeared in pre-European times, but no-one can argue that the majority of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s predator and other pest introductions,…
Rangers clock up km walking Project Janszoon trap lines
by Robyn Janes. It is the smell that often lets them know they have a body to deal with. Or the incessant buzzing of the…
Flying into the future with X-craft
A swarm of drone aircraft appears over the horizon and spans out over a remote, unfenced wilderness area – one of many such large, open…
Research shows what’s working for kiwi and kaka
Trap-wary stoats got caught out by a change in predator control regime according to research just published in July this year. The research, carried out…
Going on a Backyard Safari
Have you ever wondered what kind of wildlife hang out in your garden? There are sure to be birds, but are there weta in your…
Trust aims to be predator free from Glenorchy to the Sea
Formed in 2013, the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust (RDWT) is inspired by a vision of being predator free “from Glenorchy to the sea,” says trustee…
Influencing conservation behaviour – the role of social psychology
How do you change public behaviour – for example, persuade cat owner’s to bring their pets inside? Is education the answer? Is education enough? If…
Doing the sums – what are the best predator control options?
Research and innovation mean that the options for helping out our native species are increasing all the time. First, there were small, predator-free island sanctuaries,…
North Island robins are taking off at Puketoki
Puketoki Reserve is virgin low-altitude podocarp forest in the Whakamarama area (between Katikati and Tauranga). It was set aside for the people of the Tauranga…
Possums and more possums – is a fur trade the answer?
Possums – those cute Aussie furballs are decimating New Zealand forests – so why don’t we just develop our fur industry and make money from…
Weta, wrens and other rare beasties
It’s not easy counting weta on a steep mountainside in the middle of the night. One of Colin O’Donnell’s main research interests is alpine fauna…
Research takes the long view on native species
Scientific research often involves painstaking, meticulous measurement, sometimes repeated over a period of years before the work is completed – then it has to be…
Batty behaviour intrigues scientists
Many of New Zealand’s native wildlife species are not only unique, they’re downright weird. Take our singing short-tailed bats for example. Auckland University researchers Cory…
Phil Seddon – profiling predators in revealing detail
Professor Phil Seddon is Director of Otago University’s Postgraduate Wildlife Management Programme and has been involved in species restoration programmes around the world. He currently…
Trojan Possums – are they the next step?
It’s called the Trojan Female Technique and it’s involves a mutation in females that makes all their male offspring infertile. Because it is a gene,…
