Latest news with #LandcareResearch
Scoop
28-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
How Have Our Garden Birds Been Tracking Since 2014?
Press Release – Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Some of our introduced species are also showing larger declines in the short term compared with their long-term trends. Pahirini (chaffinch), tiu (house sparrow), and kurarini (goldfinch) counts show moderate declines of 21 28% over the past … Things are looking up for the tauhou (silvereye), according to the results from the 2024 State of New Zealand Garden Birds | Te Āhua o ngā Manu o te Kāri Aotearoa report, which have just been released. The national declines for the species that were reported in previous years have tapered off and they are showing increases in 10 regions in the long- or short-term. A record number of people joined in the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey in 2024, with more than 17,000 New Zealanders spending one hour counting the birds they could see or hear to contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand's longest-running citizen science project. Their efforts added more than 7,000 surveys to this valuable dataset that helps researchers track how our garden birds are faring. The report also shows that pīwakawaka (fantail) and kōkō (tūī) continue to show increasing trends, both nationally and in many regions across the motu. The picture gets a little more complicated for kererū, however. While their counts show a shallow increase nationally over the past 10 years (39%), over the past 5 years they show a shallow decline nationally (7%) and moderate to rapid declines in seven regions. Some of our introduced species are also showing larger declines in the short term compared with their long-term trends. Pahirini (chaffinch), tiu (house sparrow), and kōurarini (goldfinch) counts show moderate declines of 21 – 28% over the past 5 years. This is just the type of early warning that the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey was set up to detect, says Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research senior researcher Dr Angela Brandt. 'The short-term declines we see for kererū, and for some other species, are not an immediate cause for alarm. But they are a signal that we should be paying attention to what's happening in our bird populations, including what may be behind these trends.' 'Birds are important indicators of the health of New Zealand's environment, and many perform important ecosystem functions, while others have inherent value as taonga species. If we see birds begin to decline, that suggests something has changed in their habitat, perhaps an increase in predators or a decrease in available food and shelter, which could also be affecting other species,' Dr Brandt says. In the 2024 survey, we asked participants 'what more needs to be done to care for birds in Aotearoa New Zealand?' Of the 4,652 responses to this question, 66% indicated that managing predators and other pests, such as weeds, was important. Dr Gradon Diprose notes that this response is consistent with previous years, in which managing predators and pests were considered the most important action to help care for our birds. The NZ Garden Bird Survey founder, Dr EricSpurr, says he looks forward to the survey every year and is delighted at the increasing number of people who take part. 'The results show the value of long-term citizen science monitoring. None of these data would have been collected without the help of everyday New Zealanders – who have made more than 77,000 bird surveys since the survey began 18 years ago. We expect short-term changes in bird numbers from year to year, and only by collecting more data will we be able to see whether these same trends continue.'
Scoop
28-05-2025
- Science
- Scoop
How Have Our Garden Birds Been Tracking Since 2014?
Things are looking up for the tauhou (silvereye), according to the results from the 2024 State of New Zealand Garden Birds | Te Āhua o ngā Manu o te Kāri Aotearoa report, which have just been released. The national declines for the species that were reported in previous years have tapered off and they are showing increases in 10 regions in the long- or short-term. A record number of people joined in the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey in 2024, with more than 17,000 New Zealanders spending one hour counting the birds they could see or hear to contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand's longest-running citizen science project. Their efforts added more than 7,000 surveys to this valuable dataset that helps researchers track how our garden birds are faring. The report also shows that pīwakawaka (fantail) and kōkō (tūī) continue to show increasing trends, both nationally and in many regions across the motu. The picture gets a little more complicated for kererū, however. While their counts show a shallow increase nationally over the past 10 years (39%), over the past 5 years they show a shallow decline nationally (7%) and moderate to rapid declines in seven regions. Some of our introduced species are also showing larger declines in the short term compared with their long-term trends. Pahirini (chaffinch), tiu (house sparrow), and kōurarini (goldfinch) counts show moderate declines of 21 – 28% over the past 5 years. This is just the type of early warning that the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey was set up to detect, says Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research senior researcher Dr Angela Brandt. 'The short-term declines we see for kererū, and for some other species, are not an immediate cause for alarm. But they are a signal that we should be paying attention to what's happening in our bird populations, including what may be behind these trends.' 'Birds are important indicators of the health of New Zealand's environment, and many perform important ecosystem functions, while others have inherent value as taonga species. If we see birds begin to decline, that suggests something has changed in their habitat, perhaps an increase in predators or a decrease in available food and shelter, which could also be affecting other species,' Dr Brandt says. In the 2024 survey, we asked participants 'what more needs to be done to care for birds in Aotearoa New Zealand?' Of the 4,652 responses to this question, 66% indicated that managing predators and other pests, such as weeds, was important. Dr Gradon Diprose notes that this response is consistent with previous years, in which managing predators and pests were considered the most important action to help care for our birds. The NZ Garden Bird Survey founder, Dr EricSpurr, says he looks forward to the survey every year and is delighted at the increasing number of people who take part. 'The results show the value of long-term citizen science monitoring. None of these data would have been collected without the help of everyday New Zealanders – who have made more than 77,000 bird surveys since the survey began 18 years ago. We expect short-term changes in bird numbers from year to year, and only by collecting more data will we be able to see whether these same trends continue.' This year the survey runs from 28 June – 6 July 2024. There is plenty of bird identification information on the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey website, so lots of time for everyone to get familiar with the manu that visit our gardens. Get ready to take part, because your contribution matters!
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Scientists discover 'amazing' new fungus species connected to livestock facial eczema
Pithomyces chartarum, whcih looks identical to its newly discovered toxic relative. Photo: Landcare Research / supplied New Zealand scientists studying a complex fungal disease that affects sheep have made a scientific breakthrough. Facial eczema is a disease caused by a toxin produced by a fungus. The fungus grows in humid conditions and hurts sheep livers, making them very sensitive to ultraviolet light and reducing productivity. The disease is estimated to cost farmers and the economy $332 million a year. But new research has revealed there are two species of this fungi in New Zealand pasture, not just one as previously thought. Scientists have named the new fungus species Pseudopithomyces toxicarius - identified as the primary producer of sporidesmin, the toxin produced by spores of the fungus. The new species is in addition to the better-understood non-toxic Pseudopithomyces chartarum. The study's lead author Dr Bevan Weir, senior scientist at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, said the teams extensively studied the organisms, genomes and toxins found in New Zealand pasture and abroad. "It was amazing when we got the first DNA sequencing data and there was just this incredibly clear split showing that there was definitely these two species on pasture," Weir said. "It was a fantastic experience figuring out that we've kind of cracked it, and that in the past there have been reports of non-toxic strains or less toxic ones, and now we know the reason why." He said the discovery followed years of hard work and dedication by research institutes, the agriculture industry and farmers. AgResearch, Manaaki Whenua, Beef and Lamb and the Livestock Improvement Corporation were involved in the study, led by Beef and Lamb. The seven-year project to eliminate the impacts of facial eczema in livestock was valued at $20.75m, and the government assigned $8.3m to it in March last year. Weir said identifying the primary cause of facial eczema was a "critical step forward" in reducing its impact. "The complicated thing is that although these species are really genetically distinct and have very different genes, under the microscope they are completely identical. So you can't tell them apart at all, even under our really good research microscopes. "And this is a problem for assessing facial eczema risk, because at the moment the main method of assessing risk is doing spore counts, and it's still a good method, but some of those spores that the vets and farmers are counting under the microscope will be from the non-toxic species." Weir said the ongoing sheep poo collection work will help them identify where the toxic and non-toxic species were found around New Zealand - but there were generally very little toxic examples found in the South Island, and more in the North Island. AgResearch lead author Christine Voisey said the teams were grateful to the farmers that supported the study by providing samples that were vital to this research. "Working on this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career," she said. "There is still much to learn about the biology of Pseudopithomyces, but this research brings us closer to developing tools that will help mitigate the impacts of facial eczema on New Zealand's farmers." Beef and Lamb general manager of farming excellence Dan Brier said the research gave the sector a clearer foundation for developing more accurate diagnostic tools and effective management practices. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Auckland bus stop killing: Kyle Whorrall remembered at Saint Johns Rd memorial
Carole Whorrall travelled to New Zealand from the United States and spoke to the Herald this week about how she wanted her son to be remembered. 'Kyle was a brilliant, gentle and deeply caring person whose love for the natural world shaped his life and inspired those around him,' she said in a written statement. 'He was passionate about his work and admired greatly by his colleagues and friends, of which he had many. 'He was dedicated to making a difference and about to embark on a brilliant career. He was deeply loved and admired by his family.' Kyle Whorrall, originally from Los Angeles, was in the last stages of a PhD in entomology at the University of Auckland and was based at Landcare Research in St Johns. The Ōrākei Local Board has arranged for another memorial service on Monday at St Johns Bush, where a pōhutukawa will be planted to honour Whorrall. His mother will fly home to California on Monday evening and said the family planned to hold his funeral there. 'There have been a number of memorials here in New Zealand by friends, colleagues and those who never knew him but wished to celebrate his life,' she said. 'We are deeply moved by the kindness and concern of everyone here in New Zealand.' A family friend has set up a crowdfunding page to help the family cover the costs of their travel, the funeral and other expenses. So far, US$53,000 ($89,000) has been raised towards a goal of US$60,000. 'The circumstances of Kyle's death have introduced unexpected and uniquely challenging obstacles to his family, who must now travel thousands of miles to deal with this horrible tragedy,' the organiser of the fundraiser said. Last week, the family arranged for professional photos to be taken of Whorrall's bedroom in his St Johns flat as a memento. Photographs showed a room crammed with plant life on every surface, a sprawling collection of stuffed animals, US National Park posters and natural artefacts. Display cases of insects filled one corner of the room. Police investigation A 16-year-old boy has been charged with Whorrall's murder and aggravated robbery and a 32-year-old woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said there had been no further arrests or charges in the homicide investigation but search warrants had been executed in the past few days. Police were following 'positive lines of inquiry', he told the Herald. Police had also found the occupants of a silver Mitsubishi Grandis they were seeking last week, saying that they could hold information about why Whorrall was killed. Carole Whorrall said the police had been 'very diligent' in their investigation and 'extraordinarily kind' to the family.
NZ Herald
02-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Kyle Whorrall: Mother honours 'brilliant, gentle' son
'He was passionate about his work and admired greatly by his colleagues and friends of which he had many. 'He was dedicated to making a difference and about to embark on a brilliant career. He was deeply loved and admired by his family.' Kyle Whorrall was studying a doctorate at the University of Auckland. Kyle, who was originally from Los Angeles, was in the last stages of a PhD in entomology at the University of Auckland and was based at Landcare Research in St Johns. On Monday, the Ōrākei Local Board has arranged for a memorial service at St Johns Bush where a pōhutukawa will be planted to honour Kyle. His mother will fly home to California on Monday evening and said the family planned to hold his funeral there. 'There have been a number of memorials here in New Zealand by friends, colleagues and those who never knew him but wished to celebrate his life,' she said. 'We are deeply moved by the kindness and concern of everyone here in New Zealand.' A family friend has set up a crowdfunding page to help the family cover the costs of their travel, the funeral and other expenses. So far, $51,000 has been raised towards a goal of $60,000. 'The circumstances of Kyle's death have introduced unexpected and uniquely challenging obstacles to his family who must now travel thousands of miles to deal with this horrible tragedy,' said the organiser of the fundraiser. Last week, the family arranged for professional photos to be taken of Kyle's bedroom in his St Johns flat as a memento. Photographs showed a room crammed with plant life on every surface, a sprawling collection of stuffed animals, US National Park posters, and natural artefacts. Display cases of insects filled one corner of the room. Kyle Whorrall's bedroom at his flat in St Johns, Auckland. Photo / John Rata Police investigation A 16-year-old boy has been charged with Kyle's murder and aggravated robbery and a 32-year-old woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said there had been no further arrests or charges in the homicide investigation but search warrants had been executed in the past few days. Police were following 'positive lines of inquiry', he told the Herald. Police had also found the occupants of a silver Mitsubishi Grandis they were seeking last week, saying that they could hold information about why Kyle was killed. Carole said the police had been 'very diligent' in their investigation and 'extraordinarily kind' to the family. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
