Not only providing the set and stage for our native fauna, Aotearoa New Zealand’s trees are themselves diverse and dynamic players in our native ecosystems. Sarah Wyse calls them the “main event.” “Prior to human arrival, Aotearoa was 80 to 90% forest. They’re the heart of our ecosystems,” she says. “What’s more, the species here […]
Stacey
December 2023 newsletter
Gene drives – maybe not a silver bullet, but a bullet nonetheless
A gene drive is both a natural process and a genetic engineering technology where a gene is promoted or favoured during reproduction—instead of there being a “chance” of an offspring inheriting a gene, gene drives almost guarantee that the offspring (and subsequent offspring) will inherit that gene. Gene drives could be designed to help mitigate […]
Ngā Pī Ka Rere grants supports the publication of important Kauri Dieback research
On holiday in Transylvania, Isaar met with BioHeritage writer Kerry Donovan Brown via video call. Earlier in the day, Isaar had visited Bran Castle, a fortress known otherwise as “Dracula’s Castle”. If entering the domain of an infamous baddie is hair-raising for the average tourist, for Isaar, it’s business as usual. Beginning his research career, […]
Connections made at 4S Conference
For the 4S conference, a BioHeritage team assembled a panel titled “Ngā Koiora Tuku Iho: An experiment in transforming biodiversity and biosecurity research in Aotearoa New Zealand.” The panel was organised by Symon Palmer (Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington), a co-lead of Ngā Pī Ka Rere and Novel Tools & Strategies – […]
November 2023 newsletter
Policy brief delivers new insight on people’s perception of environmental health
Urban freshwater quality has become the focus of several BioHeritage themes, including SO2: Empowering Kaitiakitanga & Environmental Stewardship. One of the goals of SO2 is to understand the underlying values and drivers that lead some people to actively protect our biological heritage. This requires understanding feedbacks between people in the landscape and the ecosystems in […]
Future focus for Science Communication
Several presenters at the annual conference were associated with BioHeritage. Marie McEntee from the University of Auckland, co-lead of NRT’s Mobilising for Action and BioHeritage’s National Conversations project in the Novel Tools & Strategies programme, ran a workshop using purposeful games to address knowledge and emotional barriers to dialogue and learning. Science communication contractor Jenny […]
The right people in the room, and the mists of Mount Kenya
When envisioning biosecurity risk in Africa, a layperson might deem those big bold ecosystems as unassailable by exotic pests. However, those in the know understand that African nations contend with an array of invasive organisms, and even share some problem situations with Aotearoa. “The fall armyworm threatens massive economic damage when it infests food crops,” […]
Collaborative research on hybrid species receives Marsden Fund grant
Aisling co-leads BioHeritage’s early career group Ngā Pī Ka Rere with Symon Palmer and Dr Helen Warburton, a research area in Freshwater for Our Taonga with Dr Matthew Wylie, and a research project in the Impact Pou with Helen Warburton. She says the research will have important implications for the conservation of taonga species in Aotearoa. “Traditionally, the focus […]
Eco-index Restoration Map has launched! Here’s the buzz.
In case you missed it, the Eco-index Ecosystem Restoration Map has been in the news, garnering national coverage from RNZ, The Spinoff, and New Zealand Herald as well as featuring in The Conversation. Catherine Kirby, Eco-index Communication and Relationships Manager, was hopeful that there would be broad interest in the Ecosystem Restoration Map, but the […]
New MBIE Endeavour Programme on gene technologies
On 15 September, MBIE announced the successful Endeavour Programme bids. One of these was “Whatu raranga o ngā koiora – weaving cultural authority into gene technologies targeting invasive wasps”, a five-year programme worth over $11 million. Professor Phil Lester of Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and co-lead of Novel Tools & Strategies […]
October 2023 newsletter
Coming soon: Eco-index Restoration Map launches on 14 November
The Eco-index team have developed a digital toolkit to help reverse the decline of native biodiversity across Aotearoa New Zealand. They are committed to creating useful, open access tools to share their research findings. Working alongside data analysts and communication advisors, the interdisciplinary team are developing an interactive online map that allows users to explore […]
Weed horizon scan completes phase 1 and moves into phase 2
Back in December 2022, we spoke with Jennifer Bufford about the two-phase horizon scan that was just starting up to identity future needs in weed research. “The first phase of the project was developing possible future scenarios relevant to invasive plant management,” says Jennifer. Earlier this year, the team invited people from a range of […]
Ngā Pī Ka Rere spotlight: Liam Cartwright uses his law background to analyse NZ’s biosecurity framework
As Liam was finishing up his Bachelor of Laws in 2022 at the University of Canterbury, he came across a Master’s scholarship to critically analyse the coherence of New Zealand’s approach to biosecurity. “This scholarship interested me because growing up, I’ve always been quite keen on the outdoors,” says Liam. “I do a lot tramping […]