In our Autumn issue, we highlight some unusual and quirky endangered native plants and meet the passionate conservationists trying to protect them from climate impacts such as storm surges and wildfires. We hear from scientists and volunteers working to save the Chatham Island button daisy aka the “muttonbird plant”, a fascinating plant that usually grows in burrowing or nesting seabird colonies. Other critically endangered coastal rarities in Aotearoa include Holloway’s crystalwort, only found on a handful of beaches in Northland, Canterbury’s Wakanui woollyheads, an endemic daisy recently saved from extinction by a Forest & Bird branch, and the swamp helmet orchid that only grows in the Whangamarino wetland, in Waikato.
It's too warm to wait for these endangered plant species, we need to act now. Professor Peter de Lange, the Department of Conservation, and Forest & Bird’s climate advocate Scott Burnett explain how conservationists can help our landscapes become more resilient to climate impacts. This includes choosing nature-based climate solutions, restoring native habitats, and protecting landscapes from invasive pests and predators. If you want to do your bit in your own backyard, check out Geraldine Canham-Harvey’s Wild Gardening feature with heaps of tips on how to attract critters and birds back to your garden.
Have you heard of the Punakaiki petrel patrol? This incredible group of conservation volunteers saved 60 grounded Westland petrel chicks over the past summer. Forest & Bird’s West Coast Branch chair, Suzanne Hills, explains how they did it. Lynn Freeman headed to Forest & Bird’s Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project to find out how trapping has helped pekapeka-tou-roa long-tailed bats this breeding season, while Professor James Bell explains what is special about the deep-water reefs off Fiordland and Rakiura, where he recently made two exciting marine discoveries. All this and much more in the Autumn issue.
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