Jean Fleming unpacks the motivations of environmental volunteers in New Zealand. Waking in my new home on that first morning, I jumped out of bed and flung open the doors to the deck, breathing in the sounds and smells of life at Waikanae Beach. Immediately, there was a peel of tūī calls from the tall […]
Environmentalist, journalist and author, Dave Hansford was recently awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for services to the environment. His recent book, Protecting Paradise, examines the debates surrounding the use of 1080 in New Zealand, and makes the case for urgent intervention to rescue dwindling native wildlife. Laura Keown sat down with him at Forest & Bird’s […]
Allocating just 1 percent of the government’s annual $96 billion spending to core conservation work would more than double the Department of Conservation’s current budget, suggests Alex Stone. The Government announcement of a predator-free goal for New Zealand by 2050 sounds good. But, so far, the budget for this is woefully inadequate and comes on […]
Equipped with our cameras, a tripod and warm clothes, mum and I headed off for the Tongariro National Park, stopping at geocache sites along the way. Geocaching is a great way to get out in nature, a fun way to exercise and a wonderful little hobby that can lead you to places you otherwise may […]
It has been 6 months since the announcement that New Zealand would be predator free by 2050 garnered worldwide attention. But Caroline Wood asks – how will we get there? Forest & Bird led New Zealand’s first predator-free success story when Auckland branch member, Mr. A. McDonald, from Waiheke Island, used a £5 government grant […]
Forest & Bird’s Central Otago-Lakes Branch recently visited the Kakī Recovery Centre in Twizel. There, they discovered how this critically endangered bird is being managed – as Rachel Hufton reports. Kakī (also known as the black stilt) are the rarest wading birds in the world, yet few know they exist. We wanted to raise awareness […]
Richard Hursthouse is chair of North Shore Branch of Forest & Bird and Centennial Park Bush Society. He is passionate about raising awareness of pest plant issues. A slow train wreck has been unfolding across the country for decades while politicians sit on their hands. New Zealand has a major and rapidly worsening issue with […]
Whitebait season is again upon us, and many are wondering if it will be a bumper year or a fizzer. The size of the catch depends on a mysterious combination of the weather now, the weather a few months ago, ocean currents, and the lure of supply and demand. Even a hundred years ago, there was huge […]
Old man’s beard was originally introduced as a decorative plant, but quickly spread into our native bush, where it strangles our native plants and stops them from regenerating. Graham Bellamy explains how the Upper Hutt Branch is controlling this invasive weed. In Upper Hutt, we have started a project to remove Old Man’s Beard from the area. […]