Matthew Wood • Feb 02, 2011 •
ESCI 201: Climate Change and New Zealand’s Future is a Victoria University summer course which draws on the knowledge of many of Wellington’s preeminent experts in the realm of climate change. Much like the structure of the IPCC Assessment Reports, the course begins by examining the scientific basis of climate change and then explores the implications … Read More
Rebecca McLeod • Sep 24, 2010 •
I am still reeling from an announcement made yesterday by the Minster of Fisheries and Aquaculture Phil Heatley regarding the setting of the total allowable “catch” for giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). I thought I might try and calm down a little before I wrote this post, but the 20 or so emails that greeted me this morning from marine ecologists … Read More
Rebecca McLeod • Aug 15, 2010 •
...one of the coolest things about the proposed MPAs is their proximity to National Parks. All of the four proposed MPA sites are situated alongside National Parks, and this will provide for a continuum of protection from, in many cases, the tops of mountains, to the depths of the sea. Read More
Matthew Wood • Jul 07, 2010 •
The ANZICE program is certainly producing some intriguing results when viewed from a purely scientific perspective. But the serious implications of this research for the future of our environment and society give this work a pertinence beyond just the scientific community. Preliminary results are strongly suggesting that we have no time to lose in making significant changes towards … Read More
Matthew Wood • May 13, 2010 •
It is ironic that a science initiative called ANZICE should be concerned with investigating times in our geological past when there was relatively little of the cold, slippery stuff around. The Antarctica — New Zealand Interglacial C … Read More
Rebecca McLeod • Feb 09, 2010 •
The South Island’s West Coast Marine Protection Forum looks set to be the first region to put a marine protected area (MPA) proposal to the Government under the new(ish) MPA Policy and Implementation Plan, with the group recently wrapping up an extensive consultation process. The proposal that was put out for public comment outlined four main sites … Read More
Rebecca McLeod • Feb 02, 2010 •
The document outlines how a forum of up to 14 stakeholders will be appointed in each of the defined regions in NZ. These stakeholders will encompass tangata whenua, commercial fishers, recreational users, conservation groups, tourism operators, aquaculture industry, minerals industry… and scientists. Read More
Rebecca McLeod • Nov 09, 2009 •
Industry argued for "a sustainable level". Nearly everyone else argued that with a complete lack of scientific information, the only guaranteed sustainable level is zero. And the masses raise a very valid point - after all, the overall objective of the QMS is to help ensure the sustainable utilisation of fisheries resources... Read More
Daniel Collins • Nov 03, 2009 •
Pithy though a haiku is, 17 syllables is not enough to describe the CRI taskforce announced last week by MoRST. The Terms of Reference are brief enough. Here are a few snippets, emphasis mine, with thoughts interspersed. Government wants CRIs that respond strategically to the needs of their end-users in a way that will drive future economic … Read More
Daniel Collins • Nov 03, 2009 •
Fellow SciBlogger Shaun Hendy is in the news with his interesting analysis of OECD patents. Our no 8 wire mentality might not be so spectacular after all. Internationally, NZ is behind the curve for two reasons: low funding and a small population. Our R&D funding as a portion of GDP is well below the OECD average, though at this … Read More