No images? Click here Without a plan, a Predator Free Aotearoa is only a dreamWe've launched the Predator Free 2050 Strategy which plans our pathways forward, taking us one step closer to saving thousands of threatened native species. Predator Free 2050 is about working together to create strong ecosystems that support native species to flourish and enhances our culture and wellbeing. How you can be involved:
Watch Air New Zealand’s safety video with special guest Mr TThe new safety video "Journey to safety" tells the story of transporting a takahē to a safe place. Air New Zealand supports DOC with transporting New Zealand’s threatened species. Learn more about what this involves and how you can help. New podcast episode - BatmanColin O’Donnell didn’t exactly say that we could call him The Batman, but he didn’t say not to… Nic Toki talks with Colin about bats/pekapeka – Aotearoa’s only endemic land mammal – and the impacts of predators. Image: DOC RecreationTampons and trampingWhen hiking in a remote public conservation area, it can be an unwelcome surprise being caught short. It's hard to navigate, from both the lack of supplies and the lack of toilet facilities on alpine walks. Image: DOC Routeburn and Milford Great Walks now partly openThese Fiordland Great walks have been partly reopened for the remainder of the season. The Routeburn Return and the Southern Milford-Mackinnon Experience can be booked online. Image: DOC When you've gotta goNational parks are home for many native species and are here to be enjoyed by all New Zealanders and our international guests, which means the track isn't the right place to go. When you've gotta go, here are two options for when there's no toilet and absolutely no chance you'll make it. Image: Lindsay Young | DOC Get involvedHimalayan tahr controlHimalayan tahr can move in large groups browsing alpine herbs, tussocks and shrubs. These large groups can transform tall tussocks and subalpine shrublands to a grassy turf or bare ground. Hunters can help protect the environment and contribute to tahr management. Image: DOC The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park turns 20Twenty years ago, New Zealand established its first, and only, national park of the sea – the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park/Ko te Pātaka kai o Tīkapa Moana. Read about the wildlife that calls the gulf home and what we can do to help. History in the making – largest proposed marine networkAt DOC we’re proud to be a part of one of the most significant Marine Protected Areas network proposals New Zealand has ever had. A network that is one-step closer to reality now that the consultation is released. Submissions are due by 17 April. Our workHelping protect braided river speciesBraided river species like black stilt/kakī and black billed gull/tarāpuka have had the best chance of survival this nesting season thanks to new predator control networks in the Cass and Godley River valleys. Pāteke going strong in FiordlandThe brown teal/pāteke is the rarest waterfowl on mainland New Zealand and was considered functionally extinct from the South Island since the 1990s. Recently, eight pāteke were released in the Arthur Valley, home to the Milford Track, building on the 63 released in March 2019. Reflecting on the Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki Supreme Court decisionIwi and hapū are not stakeholders, they're our Treaty partners. It is critical that we listen to our Treaty partners and work together towards realising the principles of the Treaty. Video: DOC NatureBat-fliesIs it a spider? Or is it an ant? We join the short-tailed bat monitoring team, for their latest Fiordland Bat Diaries entry, as they introduce us to a native flightless fly. Image: Bex Jackson | DOC New international protection for frequent fliersThe Antipodean albatross has new international protection for its 100,000 kilometre migration thanks to collaborative efforts by New Zealand, Australia and Chile. Find out more about the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species. Image: Finlay Cox | DOC Marine climate changeClimate change effects are considered the top threats to marine ecosystems according to a 2012 study. The likely impacts from climate change on some of our marine species and ecosystems are relatively easy to predict and understand, but others require a bit more investigation. Image: Whio Forever | © Photo of the monthWe have some exciting news to share this Whio Awareness Month! 75 years ago, there weren't enough remaining birds to recover a healthy population and local whio were classified as "Functionally extinct", due to predation by stoats and rats. See more from DOC |