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New Zealand Nature News
Creative Adventures integrates responsible, low impact policies into all aspects of our private and small group New Zealand tours. Read our Sustainable Business policy on the Protecting Nature page. On this page you can find information about native NZ flora and fauna, current conservation issues, news and views... 5-July-2007
This next photo was taken a year earlier at about the same place. Again, snow on the ground but a clear day with a good view down into the Flora Valley. At each stoat, possum and rat trap (positioned every 100 metres) we freshen up the bait. Apart from these monthly trap-checking excursions, we donate funds from Creative Adventures to help cover the costs of this conservation effort by Friends of Flora (see the Protecting Nature page for more details).
9-June-2007 FOOD-MILES A BAD MEASURE OF CARBON FOOTPRINT Here’s a plug for New Zealand’s food export industry, since they are getting bad press about the carbon footprint created by exporting food around the world. Because New Zealand is so far away from our markets of Europe and North America there are many claims that food from NZ contributes more to global climate change. This is most often incorrect – most of our exported products have smaller carbon footprints by the time they arrive in your supermarket. Our farming methods use less energy, so emit less carbon, and ocean shipping is far more efficient than trucking. Local storage and distribution account for an incredibly high proportion of total carbon produced.
1-June-2007 SEA LIONS LOVE PENGUINS (TOO MUCH) It’ll come as no surprise that sea lions eat a few penguins as part of their regular diet. But what do you do when both the sea lions and yellow-eyed penguins are endangered, and one species is gobbling up the other? Otago University researchers and the Department of Conservation are in a bit of a pickle over the situation on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin. They are trying to increase the number of both species but the sea lions are not helping! No solution in sight, yet.
27-May-2007 UPDATE ON PEST-TRAPPING BY THE FRIENDS OF FLORA For our past guests who have met the Friends of Flora Valley conservation group, the tally of pests up to April 2007 has reached 391 stoats, 1301 rats, 795 mice and 278 possums. That’s means a lot of native birds and invertebrates surviving to keep the forest alive. (The Flora Valley is located west of Motueka in the Kahurangi national Park.)
20-May-2007 PEST-FREE ISLANDS IN THE ABEL TASMAN Three small islands along the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park will have all the mice removed in an operation by the Department of Conservation. Once removed the native birds and vegetation are expected to flourish. If you come kayaking along the coast (great fun and no experience needed) you will pass by these islands.
20-March-2007 BEAKED WHALES VISIT FIORDLAND Lucky visitors on a cruise of Doubtful Sound observed a pod of 6 or 8 beaked whales. These unusual whales are very shy and rarely seen around New Zealand. Why were they here? Probably resting or taking refuge from predators such as sharks.
10-January-2007 A FULL ATOMIC CIRCLE In 1985 New Zealand declared itself as a nuclear free country and since then has refused entry by nuclear powered or armed ships. It’s therefore interesting to realise that the first person to split the atom was New Zealand scientist Ernest Rutherford, way back in 1919.
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