Following the flight of the wind wanderers

Nifty vid on a Scion (ex-NZ Forest Research Institute) project I'm supporting. Basically, Aotearoa receives potential pests and diseases from offshore by various pathways including 'airbridges', many of which originate from our friends and generally good neighbours, Australia. 

This MBIE funded project explores warning systems to alert us when the aerial arrival of insects and pathogens is more likely. It began in October 2023 and runs through to 2028. Researchers are looking to fill critical knowledge gaps in atmospheric science and aerial invader biology to understand how organisms survive the journey in extreme atmospheric conditions and model techniques for how airbridges connect Aotearoa New Zealand to other landmasses, and how stuff is deposited on our whenua.

"It’s time to learn how we can strengthen our “biosecurity net” to predict when organisms may arrive and which are more welcome than others."

Key partners are Taranaki Mounga who assist in finding locations for monitoring and also supporting the integration of the science into efforts to protect their mounga. Mana whenua are helping with surveillance and identifying how this research can benefit Taranaki iwi.

The climate crisis is also a biodiversity crisis

Important message from Dr. Andrea Byrom, Director of the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge who has been provoked into a forthright contribution to the NZ Sciblogs site.

International media outlets are full of gut-wrenching images of burned koalas, video footage of fleeing kangaroos, and firefighters sharing water with wildlife. Judging by the public outpouring of emotion (and donations) in response, intuitively we know something is very, very wrong. We care about biodiversity, and we care a lot. Indeed, we know that people experience grief in relation to biodiversity loss.

Among other points Dr. Byrom raises is this:

I’ve been surprised and disappointed at the scarcity of Indigenous voices in this crisis, at least in mainstream media. As Lorena Allam eloquently points out, Indigenous people in Australia have been connected to the land for tens of thousands of years, and they are watching in anguish as their sacred places go up in smoke. Perhaps Indigenous people can teach us a lot about disaster risk reduction, whether in New Zealand, Australia, or anywhere. That’s not to say that we should revert solely to traditional ways – these fires are unprecedented in their intensity and scale and landscapes are different now – but there is something to be said for listening to the voices of those who have deep connections with the land and its plants and animals, and working respectfully together to come up with contemporary solutions in the apocalyptic world we all find ourselves in.


Now if anyone knows anything about Aussies, they don't lack for confidence. Or they haven't until now. But I do sense a change in how Australia sees itself, both at home and in the world. I think they have lost confidence in themselves, and in their ability to manage their environment.

In the discussion on ecological tipping points we may now be witnessing a tipping point in political action down under.


link to the full blog post.