.............. working to conserve land and marine habitat, and protect New Zealand's biodiversity

What makes the 'edge ecology' internationally important ...............

New Zealand was one of the very last places on Earth colonized by humans, with one of the worst biological losses. Very unique ecological events occurred during the archipelago's 80 million year isolation from the rest of the world, after being the first land mass to break away from the Gondwana super-continent.  As mammals developed in most places, New Zealand's exceptionally odd ecology evolved with three bats as the only land mammals.

With the world's most extensive collection of flightless birds, 80 percent endemism in plants, gigantism in insects (tusked weta left) and prehistoric living fossils preceding dinosaurs, the country is a biological treasure chest.

Tasman Glacier retreat is extreme  The Tasman Glacier is retreating faster than ever and will ultimately disappear.  There was no lake in front of it in 1973, but ice melt has now formed one 7km long and 2km wide. See more

Antarctic ice shelf disintegration Nearly 14,000 sq.km of the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula has begun to collapse. This latest ice shelf collapse shows that global warming is changing Antarctic ice faster than predicted. See more

No environmental consideration of bottom trawling in orange roughy allowable catch decision  Uncontrolled bottom trawling in the EEZ contradicts New Zealand's position at the United Nations, and interim measures by the South Pacific RFMO. See more

Orange roughy commercial catch reduced to an all time low  New Zealand has reduced the 2007-08 total allowable commercial orange roughy catch in the EEZ by 11 percent, reaching its lowest level of 13,082 tonnes.  See more

Melting Arctic summer sea ice reaches lowest level  The 2007 Arctic summer ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25 percent less than the previous low set in 2005.  See more

Agreement to restrict South Pacific high seas bottom trawling - is it enough?  Nations negotiating formation of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, have agreed to interim measures to control bottom trawling.  See more

The incredible journey of sooty shearwater from New Zealand to the north Pacific for an endless summer  Scientists show the path of shearwater that breed on New Zealand and migrate each year in an incredible transequatoral 64,000 km journey.  See more

UN stark predictions of impact of climate change  The IPCC has issued the second report, providing predictions of the impacts of climate change.  By 2030, drought is projected in some eastern areas of New Zealand.  See more

Global companies, states and city government react to climate change   In the wake of a surge of climate change reports, many global companies, states and cities are taking initiatives that surpass the snail's pace policymaking of national government.  See more

Photo Credit: Crown Copyright © Department of Conservation -  Upper left, tusked weta - Upper right, Cathedral Cove, Coromandel Marine Reserve - Right bottom, humpback whale - Right 5th from bottom, Powelliphanta snail;  Crown Copyright © Ministry of Fisheries - Center bottom and 2nd bottom, bottom trawling bycatch;  NOAA - Top, Giggenbach seamount chimneys - Center 4th from bottom, sea anemone; NASA - Center 5th from bottom, Amazon rainforest - Right 2nd from bottom, arctic polar bear - Right 3rd from bottom, Antarctic ice - Right 6th from bottom, Earth's southern hemisphere; Peter Schouten - Right 4th from bottom, Upland moa.