Today I was teaching a lecture about environmental weeds, for our Applied Ecology and Conservation course at #LincolnUniversityNZ. I showed the class the "Environmental weeds in New Zealand" project on #iNaturalist. That was made by staff at the #DepartmentofConservation to gather observations of DOC's 386 weed species.

These are the plants that DOC has assessed as being fully naturalised wild exotics, already present in natural ecosystems, and likely to be having more than minor impacts on NZ ecosystems. iNat currently has 199,588 observations of 379 of these species.

On a whim, in class I decided to see how many of these environmental weeds were present on the university campus.

Was it 10? Maybe 20?

No, 109 species.

Like a lot of urban and rural areas in NZ, our campus is a reservoir of weeds.

https://inaturalist.nz/projects/environmental-weeds-in-new-zealand

https://inaturalist.nz/observations?place_id=67596&project_id=environmental-weeds-in-new-zealand&subview=map&verifiable=any

#nz #weeds #InvasiveSpecies #biosecurity

This is disappointing news! The #DepartmentofConservation has quietly closed the Cockayne nature walk in Arthurs Pass National Park. It's one of the best short walks in the South Island, a half hour loop starting from the Kelly's Creek carpark by the highway. It travels through kotukutuku/NZ tree fuchsia forest up into souththern rata & tāwheowheo forest. In the autumn, the track sides are lined with hundreds of blue Werewere-Kokako mushrooms.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/another-doc-track-bites-the-dust

#nz #conservation

The National Party is proposing to reduce the already stretched budget of the NZ #DepartmentofConservation by a whopping $46 million.

The chief executives of Forest & Bird, WWF-New Zealand and the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) have just put out a joint press release highlighting how insane this is.

“I can think of no more expedient way to shoot ourselves in the foot,” said Dr Kingdon-Bebb [CEO of WWF-New Zealand]

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO2309/S00116/leading-environmental-groups-deeply-concerned-at-proposed-defunding-of-doc.htm

#conservation #nz #NZpol

My cartoon in today's Dominion Post & online @NZStuff and syndicated across Aotearoa.

Voices for Freedom have set their sights on DOC's Conservation boards across Aotearoa NZ...

Article: https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/130910785/antivax-group-voices-for-freedom-sets-its-sights-on-conservation-boards

#Antivaxx #VFF #VoicesForFreedom #WileECoyote #EditorialCartoon #Aotearoa #NewZealand #DepartmentOfConservation #DOC

I can't believe the stupidity of this: A new kiwi device called an 'F-bomb', intended to kill NZ 'predators', and replace existing existing wooden methods.

Supposedly it's to promote ecological balance, but plastic is more harmful than wood? It is an escalating *ecological* problem.

Seriously, people just aren't joining the dots. It's really short-sighted and amateur. What are TSB thinking when they funded it?

https://i.stuff.co.nz/environment/130872692/the-pest-trap-and-the-designer-betting-his-house-on-a-better-way-of-protecting-nz-from-predators

#NZ #departmentofconservation #TSB #plasticpollutes