Sustaining & restoring biodiversity
This OBI aims to reverse the decline of terrestrial indigenous biodiversity by providing practical strategies and improving the capability of land management, regulatory and policy agencies, to achieve substantial biodiversity gains. The outcome is designed to fulfil the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy (Goal 3) (i) to maintain and restore a full range of remaining natural habitats and ecosystems to a healthy functioning state, (ii) enhance critically rare habitats, and (iii) sustain more modified ecosystems. Reversing the decline depends on maintaining the persistence of biodiversity over time (i.e. resilience) and the protection of both biodiversity pattern (representativeness) and the processes that sustain it, including its ability to adapt to change. Restoring and sustaining representation and processes must occur across biodiversity scales from genes to ecosystems, and encompass the full range of environments. Our research focuses on components and aspects of biodiversity where the consequences of loss and potential benefits are greatest.
Maintaining adaptive evolutionary potential (IO1) by sustaining genetic diversity through targeted management and protection of species and populations will reduce the extinction risk for vulnerable plants and animals. Conserving biota which have the strongest effects on ecosystem performance (IO2) will assist conservation management at the ecosystem level. Understanding the local and regional benefits of biodiversity sanctuaries (IO3) for sustaining iconic species will enhance the abundance and protection of distinctive native species. The identification and protection of species-rich assemblages in rare ecosystems (IO4) will increase their security and protect a disproportionately large and specialised component of New Zealand's biota. Facilitating the expansion of indigenous woody vegetation in dryland environments (IO5) will restore biodiversity in the most transformed and threatened ecosystems in New Zealand.
Our research team comprises leading conservation ecologists from Landcare Research, several universities (University of Otago, University of Canterbury, Lincoln University) and DOC. Five ecologists involved in this proposal have received the annual award from the New Zealand Ecological Society in recognition of outstanding achievements in the study and application of ecological science. Collectively we have published hundreds of papers in high profile peer-reviewed journals, led and strongly supported national symposia and specialist workshops, and been involved with virtually all of the most successful threatened species conservation initiatives ever undertaken in New Zealand.
Collaborations between Landcare Research and DOC at policy, research, and management levels are longstanding. Our links with international organizations (e.g. SCOPE, IUCN) are also extensive. DOC is the principal end-user and partner in the OBI. Regional councils, the QEII National Trust, and several community groups will be involved throughout the research cycle and have representation on relevant advisory groups. The ability of Maori to engage in conservation management of indigenous biota will be enhanced through their increased knowledge of ecosystem processes and function, and project partnerships with Tuhoe, Te Whanau a Apanui and Ngai Tahu to sustain taonga species.
Intermediate outcomes
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IO1: Reduced extinction risk by sustaining genetic diversity.
Leader - Dianne Gleeson
New Zealand´s native biota has experienced past historical bottlenecks, and extreme habitat loss and predation, leading to many small, threatened populations with reduced genetic diversity and uneven distribution of genetic diversity within widespread species. -
IO2: Sustaining critical functional species interactions.
Leader - William Lee
A national framework will be developed for identifying species and linkages that influence important ecosystem processes such as productivity and nutrient cycling in order to focus ecosystem management on conserving biota likely to have the strongest effects on the performance of the ecosystem. -
IO3: Increase effectiveness of conservation flagships.
Leader - John Innes
Flagship conservation projects, based on restoring populations of iconic species and creating sanctuaries free of mammalian pests, reverse the decline of biodiversity (TO2) at local sites but are extraordinary catalysts and blueprints for wider agency and community action. -
IO4: Maintaining threatened rare ecosystems.
Leader - Susan Wiser
A key approach for halting biodiversity decline is to focus conservation effort at sites making large contributions to biodiversity. -
IO5: Restoring dryland biodiversity through woody dominance.
Leader - Susan Walker
This research programme aims to enable the re–establishment of pathways to dominance by woody plants, and increased security of threatened species at landscape scale in dryland ecosystems.
OBI Leader
 | William Lee Email  |
Landcare Research | |
Phone: 03 470 7200 |