Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Jun 08, 2017 •
A new book from CSIRO about a range of animals helping their human companions to protect the environment will make a great gift for conservation-minded and animal-crazed kids. Animal Eco-Warriors: Humans and animals working together to protect our planet, written by Nic Gill, is a first-person account of some of Australia and New Zealand’s most active non-human conservationists. Read More
Erica Mather • Jun 17, 2016 •
There is an increased likelihood that invasive species arrive in New Zealand from countries with poor regulation and low political stability, according to research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Research released this week from Victoria University of Wellington reveals that a country’s level of governance and development has a strong impact on their risk of exporting exotic … Read More
Laura Goodall • Feb 27, 2016 •
Tangata Whenua — People of the Land — is the name that Māori call themselves as indigenous New Zealanders, and likely signifies the deep roots they have to this green and blue place of jagged peaks and valleys. The land sustains us. It carries paths to the future as well as ties to the past: whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te … Read More
Guest Work • Jan 18, 2016 •
Emma Johnston, UNSW Australia and Jim Carlton, Williams College When the tsunami waters withdrew from the devastated coast of Japan in March 2011 they took with them a vast amount of debris consisting of potentially millions of objects, and sent it rafting across the Pacific Ocean. On this debris came a host of Japanese marine … Read More
Sarah-Jane O'Connor • Dec 11, 2015 •
A fungal pathogen with the potential to devastate salamander populations has yet to arrive in North America, but scientists are ready and waiting should it appear. New Zealand researchers are among a group calling for global action against the emerging disease before it spreads. Scientists in Europe discovered the fungal pathogen, Salamander chytrid disease – Batrachocytrium … Read More
Erica Mather • Aug 31, 2015 •
Insects and microbial pathogens pose an increasing threat to planted forests worldwide. Without urgent action, the long-term sustainability of all planted forests will be imperilled. Dr Eckehard Brockerhoff and colleagues, authors of a review published in Science, urgently call for a coordinated, global approach in order to protect these valuable resources. Wealthy countries have designed effective strategies to … Read More
Mark Hanna • Feb 01, 2015 •
Biosecurity is a big issue for New Zealand. Being a group of islands fairly isolated from all other landmasses and having quite a unique native ecosystem (many native birds with no native mammalian predators and few native land mammals), we have a lot to lose from introduced species. There are also biological threats to industry […] … Read More
Grant Jacobs • Nov 04, 2014 •
In a step in the right direction for evidence-based policy, Green Party member of parliament Steffan Browning has been stripped of his natural health portfolio by his party’s caucus but more is needed. As I related in my previous piece, his is not a idle blunder but an example of his thinking. This line of … Read More
Bill Kaye-Blake • Aug 08, 2013 •
The issue with botulism bacteria in Fonterra’s whey powder has been in the news all week. There’s been lots of talk of milk prices, exchange rates, marketing images and damage to brands. Most of it is fairly simple. A lot of it, at least over the weekend, was speculation about what could or might happen […] … Read More