Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00 am – Posted by Mandy | No Comments
- Blogger: Freshwater ecologist, Amber McEwan
In lakes, rivers and estuaries throughout New Zealand, groups of aquatic flying carpets are mobilising and moving downstream towards the sea. Late autumn marks the time when a special species of New Zealand flatfish – the freshwater black flounder or patiki – embarks upon a spawning migration to the sea, with juveniles re-entering freshwater and migrating back upstream a few months later.
Despite their cute appearance, black flounder are ferocious predators of small fish. Photo: Alton Perrie
The black flounder (Rhombosolea retiaria) is a truly fascinating native freshwater fish species. They are found mostly in freshwater, in lakes and streams close to the coast, although they have been known to travel as far as 250km inland!
They also complete migration-like movements in marine environments, some of which can be astonishingly large – one flounder that was tagged during a research study in the Wairarapa turned up in Taranaki a number of months later!
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Published in: Fresh water, General, Wellington
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Thu, 16 May 2013 4:28 pm – Posted by Mandy | 7 Comments
- Blogger: Forest & Bird's Web Manager, Mandy Herrick
New Zealand leads the world in clearing pests, however until now DOC has talked gingerly about the obvious next hurdle: clearing pests from inhabited islands. Until now….
For fifteen years people have talked about getting pests off Stewart island (popn = 380), and five years ago a feasibility study was done to determine whether this is possible.
Oban – Stewart island’s only township will be surrounded by a predator proof fence first to cordon off the most sensitive area, and get locals accustomed to the bio-security measures that will be put in place. After that, the rest of the island (170,000 ha) will be cleared of pests. Click to enlarge
It wasn’t until businessman and philanthropist Gareth Morgan took the reins one year ago that this whole project has been swung into fifth gear. Since he took on this uber project, he has conducted an anonymous poll to determine firstly whether Stewart islanders wanted to rid the island of their rats, feral cats and possums.
The poll came back emphatically in favour of the idea: 84% of the respondents said ‘yes’. Re-envisioning this island (NZ’s third largest) as a bird-filled paradise with kiwi walking down Oban’s main street and kakapo sitting in the trees appealed not just to conservationists, but also tourism operators in an island where there are few economic opportunities.
Indeed, an appetite for biodiversity restoration already exists in some parts of the community – after all, the community ‘demanded’ that the invading rat population on Ulva Island was re-eradicated in 2011.
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Published in: General, Native plants and forests, Southland / Stewart Island, Threats and Impacts
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Mon, 13 May 2013 10:26 am – Posted by Mandy | 2 Comments
- Blogger: Forest & Bird's Auckland-based Communications Officer, Mandy Herrick
**Newsflash** Duncan was caught and happily returned to his home yesterday afternoon (May 15th). To go to the TV One news report – see here – http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/story-duncan-kokako-comes-close-video-5437943
In 2011, Duncan – our endangered kokako – disappeared from our pest controlled sanctuary in the Waitakeres and two years later he has turned up in suburban Glendowie. Yes, that’s thirty one kilometres from his home.
As you’ll know kokako aren’t great fliers, so great mystery surrounds why he decided to take this flight of fancy across motorways and highways, and why Glendowie seems to be his resting spot.
Fortunately for Duncan, he seems to be surrounded by friends. He was discovered by a birder in the region who spotted this endangered bird (only 750 pairs to its name) and called DOC to establish his origins.
Many of the people in the neighbourhood are keen birders and Tiritiri Matangi supporters, so they’ve done a mail drop and they’re keeping a close eye on his whereabouts, and their cats.
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Published in: Auckland, General, Native land animals, Native plants and forests
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Tue, 30 Apr 2013 2:04 pm – Posted by Mandy | No Comments
- Blogger: Wairarapa based freshwater ecologist, Amber McEwan
Beneath the water’s surface, in a stream or river near you, a tiny native fish is searching for a rock. It has to be the right size and shape, in the right location in the stream and the right orientation to the current. It also has to be defended from all the other little fish currently on the hunt for the perfect rock!
The magnificent bluegill bully. Photo: Alton Perrie.
The bluegill bully (Gobiomorphus hubbsi), one of New Zealand’s lesser known native fish is preparing for autumn spawning. Bluegill bullies are a stocky, tubular fish, sandy to dark brown/black in colour with blotchy markings and distinctive dark spots on their cheeks. They get their name from the brilliant, iridescent blue band that is visible on their gills. Bluegill bullies are the smallest of New Zealand’s seven bully species, with most adults growing only to around 50-60 mm in length.
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Published in: Fresh water, General, Regions
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Mon, 29 Apr 2013 9:35 am – Posted by Mandy | No Comments
- Blogger: Rebecca Stanley, Education & Partnerships, Auckland Botanic Gardens
New Zealand has joined a worldwide club – a club of countries battling serious forest pathogens. From ash dieback in the UK to the deaths of chestnut trees in North America, elms in Europe and North America, cedar in Oregon, plantation pines in Chile, up to 40% of the native flora of Australia and then to us – where an organism too small to see is killing our largest tree the kauri (Agathis australis).
It’s been called “kauri dieback”. For kauri it’s the latest threat to its existence following browsing by exotic pests, clearance for farmland, and logging for timber. In the 1800’s the kauri resource was regarded as endless. Clearly that was not true but it must have seemed so with hundreds of thousands of hectares of this most massive tree growing in dense, even-aged stands. Only 1% of kauri forest remains. So a new threat is really the last thing the giant kauri needs.
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Published in: Auckland, Bay of Plenty, General, Native plants and forests, Northland
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Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:50 am – Posted by Mandy | 3 Comments
- Blogger: Forest & Bird Ambassador and former president, Dr Gerry McSweeney
Restructuring the Department of Conservation (DOC) is a breach of trust with the West Coast. It also betrays all the other remote and rural parts of New Zealand that have small populations but large areas of conservation lands.
DOC manages one third of NZ, 8,802,673 hectares, as public conservation land on behalf of all New Zealanders. In doing this it honours commitments made by generations past who created a National Parks and Reserves network that remains the envy of the world. Protection of conservation land also upholds the promise we make to our children. We are the guardians for future generations of the unique native plants, native animals and natural landscapes that make NZ special.
DOC also upholds a special relationship between the people of NZ and the West Coast. 83% of the West Coast is public protected conservation land, 1.896 million hectares out of the 2.277 million hectare West Coast land area. West Coast conservation land makes up 22% of all conservation land in NZ and roughly one third of our NZ National Park land area.
Conservation protection has occurred in distinct stages over the last 120 years and each stage has been actively debated. The resulting protection decision was always accompanied by a Government commitment to adequately manage those protected lands both for conservation and as key areas for recreation and tourism. Each parcel of protected land has been fought for - on the West coast it started with Arthur’s Pass National Park (1929) with our most recent additions being Kahurangi National Park (1996) and Timberlands native forest (2002).
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Published in: Climate Change, Energy, Fresh water, General, High country, Marine and Coastal, Native land animals, Native plants and forests, Threats and Impacts, West Coast
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Tue, 23 Apr 2013 9:57 am – Posted by Mandy | No Comments
- Blogger: Freshwater ecologist, Amber McEwan
On Friday of last week the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) released a report recommending an immediate cessation of the commercial harvest of the longfin eel, along with the urgent implementation of additional measures to halt the decline of this species.
Get the picture? Our longfin eel population will slowly go extinct if we don’t halt commercial harvesting of this special native species. Please note: these graphics have been sourced from the PCE’s latest report. Click to enlarge the picture.
The New Zealand longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) has been increasingly in the limelight in recent years due to concerns about its conservation status that have been raised by freshwater ecologists, fisheries interests and the general public.
Concerns have increased and spread, particularly regarding the fact that the longfin eel (an endemic, declining species) is still being commercially harvested, despite a growing body of evidence suggesting that the fishery is unsustainable. In March of this year, a large group of people (including many groups of schoolchildren) marched on parliament to deliver a petition signed by 7000 New Zealanders, demanding a moratorium on the commercial exploitation of this species. Last week, the PCE publically added its voice to this demand.
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Published in: Fresh water, General
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Tue, 09 Apr 2013 3:58 pm – Posted by Mandy | No Comments
Good Afternoon to the Hon. Dr Nick Smith,
How do you place a price on lives that have been saved from tragedy Dr Smith?
By taking away the “seat belts in the conservation estate vehicle“. The area and programme managers are the “seatbelts”. The steering wheel may be your mandate, your perception of the “best interests of voting conservation public”. The tyres and chassis may be the front line rangers and volunteers. The sponsoring commercial enterprises may be the modifications and logos, New Zealanders as a whole may be the engine and fuel. But the Area and Programme Managers are your safety, your GPS, your computer, the brain, they manage it, because they KNOW it, they are current and vital, with their intellectual wealth, wisdom and intrinsic passion to protect, they have helped to saved lives, of all who use, share and live within our conservation estate.
Cave Creek 1995 was a tragedy. With a direct increase in accountability, planning and staffing and “putting the right people in the right places”, thankfully a similar tragedy has not re-occurred. Our conservation estate has been consistently and proudly maintained, and this should appeal to the business minded National Party, resulting in developing one of the most success and recognisable brands in New Zealand which was proudly synonymous with integrity.
Please Dr Smith, see sense in recognising there can be no short term focus when it comes to protecting our environment, if you “take your eye of the ball”, if you remove the managers who are your eyes, your seatbelts, the wisdom, the knowledge and passion, you are taking as much risk with our future as hitting the highway with no seatbelt. The odds may say our journey will be uneventful, but are you ensuring we are prepared for if it is not?
Yours sincerely
Tanya Coles
Published in: Energy, Fresh water, General, High country, Marine and Coastal, Native land animals, Native plants and forests, Threats and Impacts, Topics
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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:28 am – Posted by Mandy | No Comments
- Blogger: Forest & Bird's Communications Officer, Mandy Herrick
Frogs typically make good captive breeders, so the fact that for eight years experts couldn’t successfully raise one froglet from our Archey’s frog was proving mind-bogglingly frustrating.
Some of Auckland Zoo’s latest zoo-borns. Photo: Mandy Herrick. Click to enlarge the photo.
Enter Richard Gibson – an English reptile and amphibian breeding expert with over 20 years of experience.
He flew here in late 2011 to take up a position as the Team leader of Reptiles and Invertebrates at Auckland Zoo, and one of the defining challenges of that role was to get this tiny 50 million year old frog to breed successfully.
After touchdown he immediately began tweaking husbandry methods in the hope of producing froglets from this critically endangered frog, and in December last year seven froglets were hatched (our frogs don’t have a free-swimming tadpole stage).
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Published in: Auckland, Fresh water, General, Native land animals, Threats and Impacts
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Thu, 21 Mar 2013 9:15 am – Posted by Mandy | 1 Comment
- Blogger: Forest & Bird's Communications Officer, Mandy Herrick
Last weekend at their conference, The Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust formally announced that they’ve broadened their conservation efforts to include native moths and butterflies – a move that was welcomed by the NZ’s growing brethren of butterfly enthusiasts.
Our puriri moth’s bright green coat defies the definition of moths wearing drab colours. It has even been found to sport yellow and purple wings! Photo: Stefan Marks.
The club began seven years ago to protect an overwintering site of the monarch butterfly in the Bay of Islands, however it blossomed with the help of an active online forum which provided planting guidance, pest control and tagging information to interested naturalists. Now, the newly named NZ Butterfly and Moth Trust uses the monarch butterfly as its flagship species to encourage this winged obsession.
Monarch butterflies have been sighted in New Zealand since 1840 however they couldn’t establish here because their larval food-plant didn’t grow naturally here. So although monarchs attempted to colonise NZ across the Pacific from Mexico many times, their citizenship wasn’t cemented until people fell in love with them and imported various milkweeds including swanplant in 1870, so their young ones had something to feed on!
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Published in: General
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