Research Article

In New Zealand, endemic bat species require conservation management involving suppression of mammalian pest populations to prevent bat population declines. Toxins are frequently used to control mammalian pests; however, lesser short-tailed bats (Mystacina tuberculata) are also susceptible to poisoning due to their unique forest floor foraging behaviour and willingness to sample different types of bait. Self-resetting traps may offer a suitable alternative to the use of toxins for control of rats if they do not also present a by-kill risk to bats.

Alpine regions worldwide support diverse, endemic, and specialised fauna, yet knowledge of the basic ecology of many species is lacking and urgently required for management. Aotearoa New Zealand’s lizards (geckos and skinks) are no exception: of at least 33 species that occur in the alpine zone, ≥ 90% are currently Threatened or At Risk of extinction. Here, we focus on the Cascade gecko: a cryptic and viviparous species found in the Southern Alps | Kā Tiritiri o te Moana in the South Island.

Agricultural areas set aside for native forest restoration are often in highly fragmented landscapes. This fragmentation can reduce local abundance of native avifauna that carry out bird-plant mutualisms for forest regeneration. Te Whenua Ora | High Bare Peak (HBP) is a fragmented forest landscape on Banks Peninsula transitioning back into continuous forest.

Removal of a strong selective pressure allows for modification of traits previously requisite for survival, which may enable species to take advantage of new ecological opportunities. Globally many traits shared by grasses are a byproduct of strong selection due to mammalian herbivores and fire, including non-dehiscence of senesced leaves.

Animals that inhabit the alpine zone often persist in isolated and fragmented populations and possess a range of behaviours and adaptations that enable them to survive in these harsh environments. These characteristics can make them particularly susceptible to escalating anthropogenic threats, including climate change. New Zealand has a diverse lizard fauna, of which approximately 25% of species inhabit the alpine zone. The cryptic nature of many alpine lizards makes them difficult to find and study, limiting effective conservation management.

Interactions between endemic frogs and introduced predators in Aotearoa New Zealand are important to document for consideration in species management. Predation has emerged as a formidable threat to the survival of native frog populations in Aotearoa, with most research focusing on predation by Rattus species. Here we collate unpublished observations of mortality events or predator interactions in introduced and endemic frog species.

Kuranui and Waikaia are iwi-owned islands in the Slipper group off the east coast of the Coromandel peninsula that have not been surveyed for 50 years. We visited both islands for one day and night each in April 2024 and undertook rodent trapping and species surveys of birds, reptiles, and vascular plants. The islands have changed little in 50 years. The avifauna remains similar and shared between both islands while the vegetation has continued to recover on a successional trajectory to a native state following burning. Some new weed species have colonised both islands.

Introduced house mice are widespread in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and they have significant impacts on native wildlife. The most common toxins for controlling rodents are anticoagulant rodenticides (AR). Even though AR are an efficient tool, resistance to these substances in rodent populations has been detected in many countries. This phenomenon represents a major factor in reducing the success of pest management, and it is mostly related to missense mutations in the VKORC1 gene.

Population decline and extinction are often driven by multiple stressors. Since AD 1500, the predicted global extinction rates for birds is estimated to be at least 80-times higher than the long-term background average. Pāteke/brown teal (Anas chlorotis) is a threatened waterfowl endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, with a current population of c. 2500, spread across two remnant populations and a handful of reintroduction sites. The decline of pāteke since the arrival of humans results from habitat loss and fragmentation, predation, and other anthropogenic interactions.