News

April newsletter available

The April 2018 issue of the NZES newsletter is now available. In this issue:

Ecotones: New ecological research
NZES council news
New Zealand Ecological Society 2017 AGM minutes
2017 NZ Ecological Society membership survey results
News from across the ditch
EcoTAS 2017 conference report
Publications in the current issue of NZ Journal of Ecology
Other recent publications on New Zealand ecology
Noticeboard and upcoming conferences

December 2017 newsletter out now

The December 2017 issue of the NZES Newsletter is now available. In this issue:

Ecotones: New ecological research
NZES council news
2017 New Zealand Ecological Society award winners​
New Zealand Ecological Society diversity statement 2017
News from across the ditch
Tribute to Michael Greenwood (1920–2017)
Transforming Biodiversity conference report
Postgraduate profile: Elizabeth E. Elliot
Other recent publications on New Zealand ecology
Noticeboard and upcoming conferences

Our latest newsletter is out now

The October 2017 issue of the NZES Newsletter is now available. In this issue:

  • Ecotones: New ecological research
  • NZES council news
  • News from across the ditch
  • Report from the INTECOL Congress, 2017
  • Inaugural Critic and Conscience Award to Mike Joy
  • Postgraduate profile: Azhar Alam
  • New Zealand's worth loving
  • Other recent publications on New Zealand ecology
  • Noticeboard and upcoming conferences

Call for Applications for Field Courses with Scholarships in Zoology and Botany

Applications for field courses and scholarships are now open for six opportunities hosted across four countries: Peru, India, Bangladesh and Costa Rica. Courses span 2 and 3 weeks and are offered from December 2017 to February 2018. Topics include Entomology, Ornithology, and Botany/Ecology in Peru; Conservation and Zoology in Bangladesh; Tropical Biology and Conservation in Costa Rica; and Primatology and Man-Wildlife Conflict in India. Scholarship opportunities are available for all courses. 

 

Barlow Scholarship awarded

The Barlow Scholarship for 2017 has been awarded to Julia Schmack at University of Auckland for her PhD research on managing Vespula wasp invasion in New Zealand. The Barlow Scholarship was established from a generous bequest from Nigel Barlow, who developed pioneering mathematical models underpinning pest management and wasp invasion in New Zealand. Fittingly, Julia's PhD research will build on Nigel Barlow's population model on the ecology of invasive Vespula wasps.

Statistical Ecology and Environmental Monitoring (SEEM) Conference

The statistical ecology and environmental monitoring (SEEM) conference will be held in Queenstown, New Zealand, Dec 6-8 2017 (www.stats.otago.ac.nz/conferences/seem2017).  It aims to bring together statisticians and ecologists so that both groups can share their research and learn from each other.

 

Abstract submission closes 14 July.

Early bird registration until 31 August.

 

We have an exciting list of keynote and invited speakers:

Keynote:

Species range extensions and local adaptation workshop

4th ANdinA international workshop Species range extensions and local adaptation: challenging ecological and evolutionary ideas and assumptionsSan Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, 29 January-2 February 2018ANdinA holds its unique dialogue-style workshops in wonderful locations around the world every two years. We bring together 30-40 researchers from a diverse range of disciplines to debate challenges, deconstruct contentious issues, develop new ideas and expand future horizons in topics related to ecology, evolution and management.

Barlow Scholarship call for applications

Applications for the Barlow Scholarship are now open. The scholarship provides support to international (including Australian) postgraduate students studying ecology in New Zealand. Funds may be used for direct costs associated with research such as, but not limited to, field costs and analytical expenses, but excluding fees, living expenses and conference costs. Applicants must be enrolled in a New Zealand university for postgraduate study (MSc, PhD or equivalent) in ecology and can apply for up to $2500.

Latest issue of NZES Newsletter

The latest issue of the NZES Newsletter is now available. In this issue:

Ecotones: Ecology from around NZ
New journal Rethinking Ecology – Unfurling new ideas
News from Waikato District Council
NZES award winners
Conference reports – ERA2016
Past Kauri Seed Scholars
News from council
News from across the ditch
Noticeboard and upcoming conferences

3rd Symposium on Molecular Analysis of Trophic Interactions and 3rd Symposium on Ecological Networks, 11-15 September 2017 Uppsala, Sweden

The conference web pages have now been updated with the exciting set of topics and keynote speakers to be covered by the conference. Please visit http://www.slu.se/ecology-symposium - and then keep watching this space for further information. We hope that you will also take a minute to tell your friends and colleagues about the event.

For important dates, see “practical information”:

15 February: Registration opens

30 April: Deadline for abstract submission

ERA 2016 Earlybird registration closes on September 30th

Register now for the NZES annual conference.This year we are joining with the Society of Ecological Restoration for a joint conference in Hamilton. Register now: http://www.era2016.com/registration.html 

The Conference will also feature:

  • Over 30 posters

  • A Science Open Day

  • A Bat Symposium

  • A Student Day

  • Two Workshops

  • Nine keynote speakers

  • Nine Symposium Sessions

  • Eleven Field Trips

2016 Awards - call for nominations

2016 nominations are now open for the following NZ Ecological Society awards:

  • Te Tohu Taiao – Award for Ecological Excellence
  • Ecology in Action
  • Honorary Life Membership
  • Outstanding Publication on New Zealand Ecology
  • Communication in Ecology (sponsored by Royal Society of New Zealand Canterbury Branch)

Please see the Awards page for links to further information for each award. Nominations close 8 July 2016.

Advanced study for restoration practitioners and postgraduate students

Postgraduate course for students of ecology and environmental science, being offered 9-24 August 2016 at Lincoln University.

Includes:

South Island of New Zealand: coast-to-coast across the Southern Alps.

A showcase of field research on the re-integration of biodiversity into human-modified and managed ecosystems.

Pollution mitigation, monitoring, phytotechnologies and ecosystems services.

Hands-on experience of active restoration projects : Canterbury and West Coast.

Field trips, lectures and seminars led by local and international experts.

New Zealand Bird Conference

The 2016 NZ Bird Conference and Annual General Meeting of Birds New Zealand will be held in Napier (Hawkes Bay) at the Museum Theatre Gallery, Marine Parade, during Queens Birthday Weekend 4-6 June 2016.

The conference will comprise two days of scientific papers and workshops, with field trips to local birding highlights on the third day. The AGM will be held on Saturday afternoon. A variety of workshops are planned for the Sunday morning, followed by a variety of fieldtrips on Monday.

Braided Rivers Workshop

Workshop for braided river practitioners, stakeholders, and students.
Interested members of the public are welcome.

The workshop is FREE and includes lunch, morning, and afternoon teas*

“On the plains, virtually all we see above-ground today has been introduced in the last 200 years. Only the braided rivers still retain a reasonable component of their original indigenous ecosystems. The most obvious component of that is a range of bird species – the majority of which are threatened.”

NZES2015 conference - stories in the media

NZES 2015 was a huge success. We had over 350 delegates, around 200 talks and posters and loads of excellent social events. Check out our facebook page for photos from the poster session, the evening public talk by Devon McLean about the role of philanthropy in conservation and the panel discussion on the role of philanthropy, partnerships and non-government initiatives in conservation. You can still find the full conference programme here.

NZES and ecologists worldwide call for action on climate change

The NZES has sent a letter to politicians in New Zealand calling for action on climate change after a gathering of heads of ecological societies from across the globe at the ESA100 meeting in Baltimore in August. Read the letter here. On behalf of INTECOL, Shona Myers has also sent this letter to the UN. 

See this article in the Herald last week about early cues on the effects of climate change from the species around us. 

Don't miss the rare opportunity for media training with the Science Media Centre's SAVVY programme on offer for ecologists attending NZES2015 conference

 

Register now for NZES 2015 conference - UPDATE - earlybird rates still apply!

Don't miss the rare opportunity for media training with the Science Media Centre's SAVVY programme on offer for ecologists attending the conference. For more information and to sign up see our programme page. 

New NZES website! Please let us know what you think

After a lot of work behind the scenes, the new NZES website is now live. Apart from a sparkly new look, several major changes have been made that should make the NZES and New Zealand Journal of Ecology websites much easier to use and navigate. However, it will be "work in progress" for some time yet, as we tinker and tweak to make it look and work exactly how we want it. Your feedback will be much appreciated during this process - so please let us know (by filling out our Contact Us form with the relevant information).  

NZES sends letter to the Minister of Conservation about Dryland Park

In June the NZES wrote to the Minister of Conservation, Hon Nick Smith, in support of the proposed Dryland Park in the Mackenzie Basin. The letter points out the high ecological values of the Mackenzie basin and the threats it faces with ongoing land use change in the area. Additionally, the letter highlights the support from local communities for the proposed park as well as from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. 

 

Abstract submission & registration open for NZES Conference 2014

Abstract submission and registrations are now open for the NZES 2014 conference, with the theme of “Is New Zealand the world’s invasion hotspot?”

There is a great programme of plenary speakers, including Phillip Cassey, Ragan Callaway and Ken Thompson. Several symposia are planned, both general and related to the conference theme. As well there are workshops, field trips, and for those needing a break, a writers’ retreat over the following weekend. 

We hope to see you there! Check it all out on www.nzes2014.org

EcoTas13 reviewed in New Phytologist

EcoTas 2013 was recently reviewed by the journal New Phytologist. The paper provides an interesting take on the conference and is well worth reading. 
The review sums up the conference under four main headings:
• Ecosystem development and retrogression
• Human arrival and invasion ecology
• Changing climate
• Changing ecology
Dickie IA, Tjoelker MG 2014. Changing ecology. New Phytologist 202: 1118–1121. DOI: 10.1111/nph.12724 

 

Garden Bird Survey 2012

The sixth annual Garden Bird Survey starts on 30 June 2012. Anybody who can identify the common birds in their garden can participate. Simply watch out for birds in your garden for one hour (and just one hour) sometime between 30 June to 8 July, and for each species you encounter, record the largest number you see or hear at any one time. The reason for recording the largest number seen or heard at one time is so that individual birds are not counted twice.