Jamie Steer • Feb 21, 2018 •
In a recent article in The Spinoff, the Department of Conservation’s Threatened Species Ambassador Nicola Toki makes three arguments. First, that native species and introduced predators in New Zealand cannot co-exist. Second, that conservation should be undertaken not only in sanctuaries, but also on private land. And third, that it is the indigenous subset of our biodiversity that fundamentally … Read More
- Wayne Linklater • Jan 29, 2018 •
One of the leaders of the Predator-Free movement, Sir Rob Fenwick (Chair of the Predator Free New Zealand Trust and a Director of Predator-Free 2050), described Predator-Free 2050 as a “project born in a leap of faith” (Dominion Post). He appears to think the predator-free goal is more like a religion than a science-based conservation project. And, his religion is … Read More
Nic Rawlence • Dec 09, 2017 •
‘Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble’ chant the three witches in the cavern, lightening flashing outside, in Act 4, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It’s images like these, conjured up by the great bard himself, that I associate with traditional Chinese medicines and herbal remedies. The implied promise that if I take this concoction, my health … Read More
Guest Author • Jun 26, 2017 •
By Tim O’Hara, Museum Victoria Over the past five weeks I led a “voyage of discovery”. That sounds rather pretentious in the 21st century, but it’s still true. My team, aboard the CSIRO managed research vessel, the Investigator, has mapped and sampled an area of the planet that has never been surveyed before. The RV … Read More
Helen Taylor • Apr 13, 2017 •
I was sceptical about my lab head joining the hunt for the Loch Ness monster, until I realised it was an excellent way to promote the amazing possibilities of environmental DNA. Making a splash Last week’s news was full of tales of how my boss, Professor Neil Gemmell, was going to take on the challenge of tracking down … Read More
Guest Author • Nov 16, 2016 •
By Fern Wickson, GenØk – Centre for Biosafety Biotechnology is rapidly evolving through developments in genome editing and synthetic biology, giving birth to new forms of life. This technology has already given us genetically modified (GM) plants that produce bacterial pesticides, GM mosquitos that are sterile and GM mice that develop human cancers. Now, new biotechnological techniques … Read More
Guest Author • Sep 25, 2016 •
By Tim Doherty, Research Fellow, Deakin University; Chris Dickman, Professor in Terrestrial Ecology, University of Sydney; Dale Nimmo, Lecturer in Ecology, Charles Sturt University, and Euan Ritchie, Senior Lecturer in Ecology, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University Invasive species are a threat to wildlife across the … Read More
John Kerr • Aug 23, 2016 •
We need to keep an eye on key species to track the impacts of climate change, but southern hemisphere countries like New Zealand and Australia are falling behind. The warning comes from South African and Australian scientists in an article published today in Austral Ecology. As the world warms, say the authors, we need long-term data to understand how plants and animals are changing … Read More
John Kerr • Jul 22, 2016 •
New Zealand gets a few ‘Fs’ in a new report card examining how we are doing on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. In September last year New Zealand, along with 192 other countries, signed up to the goals, which described by the UN as “a bold and ambitious global plan to end poverty, address inequalities and tackle climate change.” There are … Read More
Guest Author • Jun 30, 2016 •
By Mike Lee, Flinders University and Paul Oliver, Australian National University After centuries of study, you’d think we’d have at least a rough idea of how many different species of life exist on Earth. This is becoming even more pressing as biodiversity disappears at an increasing pace due to human impacts. Some species are going … Read More