Alarm bells are ringing over the future of yet another native bird species on the mainland, following two catastrophic seasons of predation. In the past two years, seven of the nine largest remaining populations of the mohua, or yellowhead, in the South Island have undergone serious decline. One is now thought to be extinct. More […]...
While the use of 1080 to control possums may not please everyone, it is putting a smile on the face of staff in the Department of Conservation’s Wanganui conservancy. Several of the conservancy’s larger possum-control areas have been monitored over recent months, and according to DoC programme manager Paul Prip, “the recovery of the forest canopy […]...
In the native forests of the North and South Islands some 150 kaka are playing a key role in the conservation of their species. These birds are the focus of a nationwide study designed to determine if large-scale pest control operations can reverse the decline of kaka on mainland New Zealand. Over the past five years […]...
They can disappear in a flash, darting between rocks and into crevices, or vanishing under bushes, perfectly camouflaged. But for all their skill as reptilian Houdinis, one day our native grassland skinks may disappear for good. A seemingly innocent herbivore, the rabbit, is playing a major role in their demise, and Landcare Research scientists say keeping […]...
East of Whakatane, in a sparsely populated segment of the Bay of Plenty, lies one of the country’s smaller and less well-known harbours: Ohiwa. Shallow and dotted with islands, its warm waters have long been a major food resource for local iwi. For even longer, migratory birds have fattened themselves up here for their annual […]...
In June 1950, communist North Korea invaded the South. The newly fledged United Nations immediately came to South Korea’s aid, mustering a multinational army in which New Zealand was swift to enlist. In what was the first escalation of the Cold War into open conflict, 6100 Kiwis served on sea and land. But who remembers […]...
A mantle of snow shows the tracks of travelling Adèlie penguins heading towards their colonies for the summer breeding season. Only at this time of year do these hardy birds come ashore. The rest of their lives is lived out among the pack ice that surrounds Antarctica....
Like huge mechanical locusts, turbines at the Tararua Wind Farm harvest the breezes that funnel through the hills near Palmerston North. Is this the look of the future for our landscape? With diminishing gas reserves, fluctuating hydro lake levels and mounting pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, interest in alternative energy source is growing. A […]...
Twenty-five years ago I sat on a headland above Lake Argentina, in Patagonia, and watched pillars of ice 60 m tall fall off the Perito Moreno Glacier. As one fell only every half-hour or so, I had to be patient. When the moment came, there was a satisfying roar before the pillar crashed into the […]...
