10Oct 15, 2017
The pīwakawaka, commonly known as the fantail, is a familiar sight in gardens across New Zealand. Science communicator Amy Smith puts forward her case for why these chirruping birds deserve a second term as “Bird of the Year”. While other common garden birds spend their time in the tree tops, living their lives high above us, […]
11Jul 28, 2017
Conservation and development organisations welcome PCE call for a new climate law. WWF-New Zealand, Forest & Bird, and Oxfam New Zealand welcome the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s (PCE) report, ‘Stepping Stones to Paris and Beyond’, released today. The PCE report identifies an historic opportunity for the next New Zealand Parliament to enshrine climate change […]
12Jul 18, 2017
New Zealand has more than 3,000 native species heading toward extinction, yet the budget for the government agency tasked with protecting them has been stripped. The most recent 2017/18 budget is providing $12 million less, in real terms, for biodiversity funding. In a time where the environment and native species are in crisis, the government […]
13Jul 14, 2017
Thursday was a big day. A massive iceberg 10 times the size of Lake Taupo broke off the Larsen C iceshelf in Antarctica, the worst snowstorm in years hit both islands disrupting power and road networks, and the Government announced policies to fast track coal mines and extend logging of conservation forests. Yes, you read that […]
14Jul 13, 2017
Last time I wrote about how plastic bags and microbeads affect the life in our oceans. Unfortunately there is another aspect of industrial pollution, one that is less visible. It has recently been revealed that the source of 85 % of human debris on shorelines around the world is hidden and unseen because it is […]
15Jul 7, 2017
The Minister of Conservation and the Government are presenting ‘alternative facts’ in their response to the Supreme Court ruling yesterday on whether specially protected conservation land can be swapped. Here are some verifiable facts around the issue. Alternative fact 1: The Minister of Conservation has told journalists that the 22 hectares she tried to remove from […]
16May 24, 2016
In Northland, many great native forests and their wildlife are collapsing. When the sun goes down, thousands of possums relentlessly consume the forest canopy, slowly killing ancient forest giants like tōtara, pūriri, pōhutukawa and northern rātā. Rats come out to consume our native birds, insects and lizards. Dean Baigent-Mercer takes us on a tour of Northland’s forgotten […]
17May 13, 2016
Which weeds do we need to remove at the moment? Why do we need to worry about them? And what is the best way to get rid of them? Welcome to the first in a series of blogs about some of the worst weeds in our backyards by Richard Hursthouse, Chair of Forest & Bird’s North […]
18Jan 24, 2014
Are our pet cats bird-killers, or ratters? Grass-eating layabouts, or stealthy skink-hunters? What do they get up to at night? And are their hunting activities doing damage to our wildlife, or helping to protect our wildlife by keeping rodent numbers low? Last year philanthropist and conservationist, Gareth Morgan fielded a number of questions like this […]