urban ecology

Habitat-specific densities of urban brushtail possums

Invasive mammalian pests threaten biodiversity globally across a diverse range of habitats. The unique combination of resource subsidies and disturbance in cities can provide favourable conditions for invasion. Recent interest in urban biodiversity enhancement has increased the demand for effective urban pest control, but efforts are often hampered by a lack of understanding of the ecology of urban invasive mammals.

Kaitiakitanga, place and the urban restoration agenda

Ko te oranga o te tangata kei roto i tōna tūhono ki tōna taiao. Mo te hunga Māori o Aotearoa, ko te whakapapa ki a Ranginui raua ko Papatūānuku te ara whakaū i to tātou hononga ki ngā atua Māori me ō rātou tini tamariki. Ko ngā atua ngā pou o te ao tūroa e kaha whāngai, e kaha manāki ana i te hunga Māori me tōna ahurea. Koia nei ko te orokohanga mai o te kaitiakitanga. Mā ngā mahi ā-rēhia, ngā tikanga nō tuawhakarere, ka ora ai te hononga o te tangata ki tōna taiao.

The reconnection between mana whenua and urban freshwaters to restore the mouri / life force of the Kaiwharawhara

Kei Aotearoa nei kua roa noa atu ngā tāngata taketake e noho matapopore ana ki o rātou whenua, maunga, moana, roto, awa, kūkūwai me ērā atu pūnaha hauropi wai Māori hoki. I te tau 2017 i tīmatahia e Te Māra a Tāne he kaupapa haere-kōtui i te taha o te iwi manawhenua a Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika, me ētahi atu hoa haere-kōtui hoki, me kore ake pea ka whakahoungia te hauropi wai Māori, ngahere hoki o te awa Kaiwharawhara me tōna rohenga wai. Ko tēnei te rohenga wai tino nui rawa i roto i te taone matua o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ā, he mea kairangi tonu ki te iwi, ki te ao hauropi hoki.

Evaluation of remote cameras for monitoring multiple invasive mammals in New Zealand

Numerous conservation projects in New Zealand aim to reduce populations of invasive mammalian predators to facilitate the recovery of native species. However, results of control efforts are often uncertain due to insufficient monitoring. Remote cameras have the potential to monitor multiple species of invasive mammals. To determine the efficiency of cameras as a multi-species monitoring tool, we compared the detection rates of remote cameras and tracking tunnels over 4 non-consecutive days across 40 sites in Wellington.

Seed rain and soil seed banks limit native regeneration within urban forest restoration plantings in Hamilton City, New Zealand

Restoration of native forest vegetation in urban environments may be limited due to isolation from native seed sources and to the prevalence of exotic plant species. To investigate urban seed availability we recorded the composition of seed rain, soil seed banks and vegetation at native forest restoration plantings up to 36 years old in Hamilton City and compared these with naturally regenerating forest within the city and in a nearby rural native forest remnant.