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2024 News

  1. Vanuatu expands invasive weed management efforts with landmark release of natural enemies in Espiritu Santo

    Following the successful release of the hibiscus bur lace bug in July and the Pico beetle in early November on Efate, the attention now shifts to Espiritu Santo. On 26 November these natural enemies will be released at a landmark event at the Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Technical Centre (VARTC...

  2. The soil at our feet: Soil scientists digging in to celebrate World Soils Day – 5 December 2024

    Soil scientists from across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific are gathering in Rotorua next month to celebrate the importance of the soil at our feet, with a conference and unique soil judging competition.

  3. Te Tairawhiti forest fragments: protecting precious pieces of biodiversity

    The danger of losing forests and taonga species due to climate change and an increase in extreme weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle has sparked partnerships between local kaitiaki and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research scientists.

  4. Fortune favours the timid: how a better understanding of stoat behaviour will help predator control in Aotearoa

    It’s well-known that AoNZ’s native ecosystems are under threat from introduced pest predators such as rats, cats, possums and stoats. Trapping efforts, such as those undertaken by Predator Free NZ groups, are effective up to a point – but it is very difficult to achieve 100% eradication of these pre...

  5. Hiding in plain sight – an undetected population of wallabies in Aotearoa

    Wallabies are a significant invasive pest in AoNZ, causing damage to pasture, woodland and native plant communities – and are subject to a national eradication programme.

  6. Barking up the right tree

    Training dogs to detect more than just Phytophthora agathidicida, the fungus that causes kauri dieback

  7. Understanding invasive weeds and natural enemies in the Pacific using multi-scale remote sensing

    Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, is well-known for its crystal-clear lagoons, sandy beaches and unique biodiversity. However, invasive weeds introduced into Pacific Islands like Rarotonga pose a serious threat to native biodiversity, ecosystems, primary production, and human health.

  8. New flora species recorded in Niue

    Botanist Dr Peter Heenan has made a special botanical discovery on the tiny island nation of Niue, by identifying three new flora species.

  9. Losing our edges: why reserves need to be bigger

    Native shrublands were once common across the Canterbury Plains, but over time, conversion of land to other uses including irrigated pasture have contributed to their gradual decline. Now, a new study by scientists at Manaaki Whenua has found that spillover of nutrients and water from adjacent inten...

  10. Nest survival drives positive responses of native forest birds to predator management

    It is well known that predation by invasive mammals is the primary threat facing Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ)’s remaining native forest birds. Past research by Manaaki Whenua ecologists has demonstrated that distributions of our treasured birds have particularly shrunk in warmer, more northern forest...