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2024 Media Releases

  1. Small Tree Patches: Big impact on carbon storage in New Zealand grasslands

    A new study reveals small tree patches can have mighty environmental, economic, and cultural benefits in grassland landscapes across Aotearoa New Zealand.

  2. The summer the Southern Alps turned red

    When snow on the Southern Alps turned from white to red in the summer of 2019/2020, ash from Australia’s bushfires was blamed. But researchers studying the event now say the real culprit was desert dust storms that sent massive amounts of red dust across the Tasman Sea. These storms are likely to oc...

  3. Digging for treasure: AI tool to help scientists access soil research under development

    Callaghan Innovation and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research are digging into artificial intelligence to develop a tool to help scientists uncover a treasure trove of soil research insights.

  4. 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...

  5. 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.

  6. Pico beetle to help Vanuatu combat invasive prickly solanum

    Another milestone weed biocontrol event occurred this week with Vanuatu receiving the pico beetle to tackle the spread of the invasive weed prickly solanum, known as pico weed in Vanuatu. This follows on from the successful release of the hibiscus bur lace bug in July earlier this year. This is part...

  7. Beetle arrival brings hope against hoi, the invasive air potato in Niue

    This week Niue will be welcoming a leaf-feeding beetle that researchers hope will turn the tide against the invasive weed known as air potato, or locally as hoi.

  8. How far south did Polynesian seafarers travel in prehistory?

    Prehistoric Polynesian seafarers were highly skilled and undertook some of the longest and most technically demanding voyages in prehistory – but did they ever sail into very high latitudes with landfall in Antarctica, as some scholars have argued?

  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 - Landcare Research has found that spillover of nutrients and water...

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

    It’s well-known that Aotearoa New Zealand’s native ecosystems are under threat from introduced pest predators such as rats, cats, possums and stoats.