Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Driving innovation in New Zealand's management of terrestrial biodiversity and land resources.
Beaver eradication on Tierra del Fuego
North American beavers were introduced to the island of Tierra del Fuego in 1946 to start a fur industry. However, the introduction has largely been a disaster with the beavers spreading large distances and even swimming the Straits of Magellan to mainland South America. They destroy riparian beech forests, damage roads and are a nuisance to farmers and foresters.
Beavers now occupy about 7 million hectares of southern beech forest, Patagonian steppe and Andean high altitude bogs and in total about 26,000km of waterways. Now, an international team led by John Parkes from Landcare Research has been asked to assess options to manage beavers and whether they could be eradicated from South America.
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Our fUTURE
OurFuture is an interactive website which brings together projects and activities that benefit New Zealand's natural environment and resources. OurFuture is aimed at making connections between research and action and between people and projects. Visit website www.OurFuture.net.nz Follow Landcare Research
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Sharing stories about New Zealand sustainability initiatives and environmental research.
Science in Focus - Biodiversity and Conservation
The Biodiversity & Conservation team consists of about 50 scientists and science technicians based in Auckland, Hamilton, Nelson, Lincoln and Dunedin. Its mission is to undertake world class scientific research to underpin the protection of New Zealand's biodiversity, and to minimise the impacts of invasive weeds and invertebrates. We provide research and advice on conservation planning, biodiversity inventory and monitoring, species recovery strategies, biocontrol of weeds, management of invasive invertebrates, management and restoration of wetlands and forest fragments, pollination biology, genetic structure of populations, gene flow in the environment, and biotic risk assessment. Much of our research is carried out in highly modified areas and where the natural landscape abuts areas managed for production. Although we mainly deal with native organisms, and weeds and pests of the natural environment, many of these invasive species also affect productive land, and many native species find a home within agricultural systems. Our research therefore has strong implications for agriculture and forestry as well.
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