Habitat modification – complex relationships
Habitat modification – what’s good for native wildlife and what isn’t? Weta can thrive, living in the crevices provided by large introduced trees. Cutting those…
Local marae community inspires environmental change
Good things – even great things – can come from inauspicious-seeming beginnings. In 2010 a proposed new wastewater system got people worried in the small,…
Mohua facts
The mohua, or yellowhead, is a small bird with a bright yellow head and breast. Early settlers called it the ‘bush canary’ because of its…
Monitoring matters
Environmental monitoring is more than just a modern conservation buzzword. It’s an essential tool in determining whether all those volunteer hours put in by your…
Kiwi inventor shares ways to read predator footprints
Warren Agnew can tell a lot from an inky footprint. A stoat track is easy to recognise because of the hairiness of the feet. But…
Genetic diversity and bats
New Zealand’s entire black robin population once consisted of a mere 5 birds and all black robins surviving today are descended from one breeding pair…
Trelissick Park Group cares for idyllic wilderness area
It may well be Wellington’s best kept secret – an urban wilderness area where nationally threatened fish species thrive in a meandering stream and where…
Skinks, geckos (and mice)
The detrimental effects of New Zealand’s larger mammal predators are very well documented. Everyone surely knows the devastation caused by rats, possums and stoats. So…
Kiwi Ranger keeps track of Great Spotted Kiwi
Jo Halley is sore – sore knees, sore feet and sore shoulders. She’s just back from several days of crawling through scrub in search of…
Antipodes and the impact of mice
For thousands of New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic mice, the next few weeks are the final countdown. With just a few weeks to go until mouse eradication…
BRaid comes to aid of ancient rivers and rare birdlife
The South Island’s stunning braided river systems have been formed over millions of years as clashing tectonic plates created mountains and glaciers and then high…
Invertebrates – looking after the little guys
We know New Zealand’s native birds aren’t thriving – but what about the little guys – the VERY little guys? What’s happening with our insects…
Making a Place for Penguins in the City
For a little penguin (until recently known as little blue penguin) in the city, the urban adventure includes a few extra hazards not encountered by…
Rats as island invaders
Rats are, perhaps, the ultimate invader – with a little bit of help through the centuries from humans. Where-ever we go they go too, so…
Braided rivers and predator monitoring
Braided river systems are rare throughout the world, but we have some superb examples in New Zealand, particularly in the Canterbury and Southland regions. New…
