News archive

NZES Conference Logo Competition

The NZES conference will be at Lincoln University from November 25th to 29th later this year. The theme for the conference will be:

Is New Zealand ecology on solid foundations?

We are looking for a logo to use for the conference that reflects the theme and/or the Canterbury region. We are running a competition for the logo. Please scan and send a copy of your logo to Adrian.Paterson@lincoln.ac.nz by May 21st. There will be a $250 first prize (and the glory of seeing your picture on a tee-shirt).

We would love to see your work.

The conference organisers, Lincoln University. 

Newsletter March 2012 

Read the latest issue of the NZ Ecological Society newsletter

EcolNews March 2012 139.pdf
In this issue:

NZES Conference 2012: Call for symposia & logo competition
NZES Awards 2012: Call for nominations
Wetland restoration article
Wandering albatross on Great Barrier Island
Kauri Fund Seed Scholars report
NZ Fauna smartphone app
Book review – Weed Control Handbook
along with the regular features, upcoming meetings and the noticeboard.
Copy for the next newsletter is due Friday 8 June 2012, please send all material to newsletter@nzes.org.nz
 

Charles Fleming Fund – Call for Applications

We are now calling for applications for the following awards:

* Charles Fleming Fund - Senior Scientist Award

* Charles Fleming Fund - Publishing Award

The closing date for applications is 31 March 2012. Information on these awards, and application form are available on the Society’s website: http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/programmes/funds/fleming/

All applications will be acknowledged via email, within a fortnight of receipt of the applications.

Wanted - highly-motivated Ph.D. students, Department of Biology, University of Utah

Application deadline is January 6, 2012. Prospective applicants should visit: http://bioweb.biology.utah.edu/sekercioglu/

The University of Utah Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology program provides 5 years of Ph.D. funding and has strengths in various fields. I can offer additional support in the form of research assistantships. Our Global Change & Ecosystem Center provides opportunities for broad interdisciplinary research, education and outreach.

http://www.biology.utah.edu/graduate/eeob/

http://environment.utah.edu/

In addition to the possibility of conservation ecology field research in a range of ecosystems in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Utah, Ph.D. students can undertake conservation, ecology, biogeography, life history, and evolutionary meta-analyses of our global bird database, covering all the world's bird species and updated continuously. Besides conducting long-term bird banding and telemetry projects, theyalso study the conservation ecology and population biology of carnivores (brown bears, lynx, and wolves) in eastern Turkey. Highly-motivated students with interest in other taxa and prepared to take initiative should note that past collaborations included taxa ranging from plants to bird lice to amphibians.

Botanical courses this summer, Canterbury and Waikato

Feel like developing your botanical skills, and learn about methods in plant taxonomy, classification and identification? There are two excellent courses available, one at Canterbury University in January 2012 and the other at the University of Waikato in February 2012. Read more about them at: http://nzes.org.nz/events/educational-events

Ecology in the Heartland, NZES annual conference, Rotorua 2011

New Zealand Ecological Society conference 2011 - Ecology in the Heartland - was held in Rotorua earlier this month and was a huge success. A wide range of exciting plenaries and contributed papers were presented. A notable addition to the conference was the presence of several well-known science communicators, who encouraged ecologists to bridge the gap between our science and the public and to communicate our knowledge and research. The field trips and conference dinner were also enjoyed by many. Thanks again to the organisers for their sterling efforts in delivering us a fantastic conference.

Calling all early career ecologists!

Are you interested in what your peers in other parts of the world are doing? Are you keen to build ties with them to help solve environmental problems or conduct interesting ecological research? Are you looking for advice on how to have a career in ecology?

Then INNGE (the International Network for Next Generational Ecologists) can help you. This organisation of ecologists from different ecological societies across the world was formed recently to facilitate networks between early career ecologists. It aims to build international knowledge of ecological topics, encourage collaborations across countries and disciplines, foster local stewardship and sustainability efforts via global coordination, and communicate international career opportunities for early career ecologists (http://www.innge.net/). Tim Curran will liaise with the INNGE working group on behalf of the NZES, although if there is another early career ecologist who is interested in helping out that would be appreciated.

Tim has recently arrived in NZ from north Queensland, where he taught forest ecology for five years at the School for Field Studies, an American study abroad institution affiliated with Boston University. Undergraduates from universities across the US would spend a semester at the SFS field station nestled in World Heritage rainforest on the Atherton Tablelands. Prior to that Tim did his PhD at the University of New England, Armidale, testing hypotheses regarding the origins of dry rainforest in inland NSW.

He joined Lincoln University in June 2011 as a Lecturer in Ecology. His main research interests lie in the field of plant functional ecology and he is particularly interested in using plant functional traits to understand how plants respond to disturbance, especially extreme weather events such as drought, cyclones and frost, and applying these findings to restoration projects. To contact Tim email him at: Timothy.Curran@lincoln.ac.nz

Pacific Invasives Initiative launches online resource kit for rodent and cat eradication on islands

The Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII) team is delighted to announce the launch of our new on-line Resource Kit for Rodent and Cat Eradication. The PII Resource Kit can be found at: www.pacificinvasivesinitiative.org/rk.

The PII Resource Kit provides project managers with a systematic approach to planning and implementing rodent and cat eradication projects on islands in the Pacific. While focusing on rodents and cats and targeted at the Pacific, the process and many of the supporting tools are readily applicable to eradication of other invasive species and islands in other regions.

PII has also developed an accompanying training course on ‘How to eradicate Rodent and Cats on Islands’. The purpose of the course is to provide project managers with the knowledge and skills to carry out eradication projects and maximize the benefits of using the Resource Kit. For more information on the training course, please contact PII at: PII@auckland.ac.nz

New Zealand Ecological Society - Science Communication Strategy

"Communicating the results of scientific research by NZES members and their peers is essential to ensure the application of [that] ecological knowledge". Read our Science Communications Strategy 2007-2017.pdf online now to see how we as ecologists, can contribute towards communicating, promoting and raising awareness of ecological research, values and understanding.

National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity

Read the NZES submission on the proposed National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity here.

Submission pdf

Change of venue and dates for ICCB

ICCB (International Congress for Conservation Biology) is now to be held in Auckland from Dec 5-9th 2011. Absracts due April 30th. For more information see: http://www.conbio.org/Activities/Meetings/2011/

Welcome to 2011

Happy New Year and welcome to 2011. This year (which is also the 60th Jubilee year for the society) is looking to be an exciting year for New Zealand ecology. 2010 was the International Year of Biodiversity, but let us continue to celebrate and preserve our precious biodiversity values now and forever. 2011 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Forests.

We will hold our annual conference in Rotorua from 28 August to 1 September and in November, the Society for Conservation Biology will be holding its annual conference in Christchurch. All in all, it will be an exciting year for New Zealand ecologists to share knowledge, meet people and network, so make sure you register early for these meetings to ensure a place.

Thank you all for your contributions to the New Zealand Journal of Ecology. The journal’s impact factor increased substantially in 2010 and it is now the highest ranked biological journal in New Zealand. Please continue to support our journal to make this even better in 2011.

And finally, keep on sending us news and sharing information about upcoming meetings, conferences or events. With our new website we aim to improve communication and to enable all ecologists to hear about relevant events in our field.

Check out some new features of this website

We've added some exciting new sections to this website including ecology jobs and volunteer positions in New Zealand. You can also advertise job vacancies, opportunities for students, internships, temporary or permanent work and volunteer roles. We have also added a page to help you search for upcoming conferences and meetings as well as other events relevant to ecology that you should know about, such as summer courses run by universities, public conservation activities and seminars.

To help get these resources up and running, and have your job vacancies, meetings or events advertised here, email the webmaster: laura.young@nzes.org.nz 
 

Newsletter change of editor

We acknowledge the excellent hard work and dedication of Fleur Maseyk who has worked extremely hard on the New Zealand Ecological Society newsletter over the last few years. Fleur is stepping down from her role as newsletter editor and compiler after several years on the job. President of the society Bruce Burns thanked Fleur last week in the following statement: "Your last newsletter came through last week and it is, as always, an excellent compendium of current events in New Zealand ecology. You have maintained and raised the quality and information content of the newsletter over the last few years, so it is now eagerly awaited by our members (that’s what I’ve been told). So, many thanks for all your hard work and we hope that you’ll continue to help us on the committee into the future". We are delighted to now welcome Debra Wotton to the role.
 

New Zealand Ecological Society AGM

New Zealand Ecological Society AGM to be held on Tuesday at 5.15 pm, straight after the last conference talks. See you there.

Forest families fun day at Riccarton Bush, Christchurch City

To celebrate New Zealand Conservation Week, come and join the DoC team for a fun educational event at Riccarton Bush in Christchurch. There will be lots of opportunities to keep everyone entertained, from young ones to adults. Give kiwi tracking a go with the telemetry gear, get your face painted, visit the live animal displays, explore the forest, make a bird mask, look for bugs... there will be lots to do! Forest Families Fun Day flyer 
Riccarton Bush, Ngahere St entrance.
Sunday 18th September 2011, 10am - 4pm

Survey on Biodiversity data sharing & Data archiving policy
 

We invite you to take the Survey on Biodiversity data sharing & Data archiving policy. It takes only about 5-7 minutes. Descriptions of the survey are provided below. The survey is open until 10 September 2011, but we invite you to complete it as soon as possible. Your participation and support are immensely valued!
Please follow this link to the anonymous survey: https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_5ondG9RPBkZQIAc
Read more background and aims of this survey.

New Zealand Ecological Society conference 2011

Exciting news - the conference website is now up and running. See http://www.nzecologyconference2011.com/ for details on venue, absracts, registration and more. Come and celebrate 60 years of the NZ Ecological Society in Rotorua, Aug-Sept 2011.

Annual Garden Bird Survey 2011 begins this weekend
 

The 2011 Garden Bird Survey is due to occur throughout New Zealand between 25th June and 3rd July. Landcare Research, in collaboration with Forest & Bird and the Ornithological Society, established a garden bird survey to monitor the distribution and population trends of common garden birds in New Zealand.
It's easy, all you have to do is watch birds in your garden for one hour sometime between those dates, and record the highest number of each species you see or hear at any one time during the hour.
Visit http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biocons/gardenbird/ to participate.

Student Travel Grants for NZES Conference - Rotorua 2011

Applications for the student travel grant have been extended to the 4th JULY 2011. See Awards page for further information. 

BIO-BLITZ 2011

One of the world's first combined marine and terrestrial survey of all plants, animals and insects in the sea, on the land and in the air will take place in the Mana region near Wellington from Febraury 5th for a month Learn more.

New Zealand Ecological Society 2011 Conference, Rotorua
 

The New Zealand Ecological Society Conference for 2011 will be held in Rotorua during the week of 28 August and 2 September. Details will be sent out by email to members in January 2011 announcing dates and venue. Details of the conference will also be placed on the NZES website. It should also be noted that 2011 is the 60th year of the New Zealand Ecological Society. The conference organisers will request ideas of Symposia and keynote speakers from January 2011.

New Zealand Plant Conservation Network Conference
 

The annual NZPCN conference was held this weekend (8-10 Oct) in Christchurch. It was a successful event with a huge turnout and an excellent and diverse range of speakers exploring the theme: Plants in a human landscape: conservation outside nature reserves. Some of the very real threats facing our biodiversity were brought home to us, such as the continual loss of biodiversity of threatened ecosystems by development at a rapid pace, for instance in the Mackenzie Basin. We were equally encouraged by the many examples of plant protection outside nature reserves. It was highlighted how people working together, landowners, communities, local councils and government can achieve great results in conservation and restoration. Awards were presented to various deserving individuals and groups at the conference dinner. Check out the NZPCN 2010 conference programme. 

It's Conservation Week 2011, 11-18 September

Get involved in some way. Visit http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation-week-home/  for some events.

2010 Lincoln University state of the nations environment address. Read more.

New Zealand Conservation Week 2010. Read more.

NZ Ecological Society 2010 conference registration. Read more.