| Developing standardised measures of biodiversity – Outcome 1 |
|
$0.03 |
- Implemented standardised measures of terrestrial biodiversity through EMaR process, aligning us with key government agencies and councils to ensure consistent, defensible reporting of biodiversity across New Zealand landscape (e.g. for the new Environmental Reporting Act).
|
| Measuring biodiversity outcomes – Outcome 1 |
$0.17 |
$0.14 |
- Developed a Vital Sites & Action model, the first flexible and unified model of biodiversity change, pressures, and management. It's suitable for biodiversity planning, reporting, management and informing consents.
|
| National vegetation survey (NVS) databank – Outcome 1 |
$0.42 |
$0.42 |
- Collaborated globally to develop new vegetation classification systems using standardised procedures. This provided a framework to advance classification practices that enjoyed broad international acceptance, harmonised approaches worldwide and standardised information content.
|
| Biodiversity condition and trends – Outcome 1 |
$0.61 |
$0.36 |
- Estimated the number of breeding skua in the western Ross Sea using the relationship between south polar skua and Adélie penguin abundance. Our estimates contributed to identifying Important Bird Areas in Antarctica for management and protection and will also inform ecosystem food-web models for fisheries management and the designation of Marine Protected Areas in the Ross Sea.
|
| Interpreting measures of ecological integrity – Outcomes 1 and 4 |
$0.85 |
$1.22 |
- Developed innovative cost-effective biodiversity monitoring by scrutinising and improving methods and contributing to global biodiversity monitoring initiatives. Early detection of biodiversity change, with known error, bias, or uncertainty, allows agencies to implement timely and cost-effective management responses. This meets the growing demand, for example from DOC and councils, for unbiased biodiversity information that can be readily used for multiple purposes.
- Developed two complementary tree distribution models, one based on plant traits, the other on NVS occurrence data. Applications of these models include guiding restoration activities and predicting where low-impact, high-value native tree honey-producing species (e.g. manuka, tawari, kanuka) could best be established.
- Overturned a recent claim that masting will be unresponsive to climate warming by showing warmer, wetter climates promote more frequent and larger mast events, resulting in an increased threat to avian populations. We demonstrated that managers should anticipate more frequent and intense mast seeding, and budget accordingly.
- Quantified spatial configuration of fungal diversity in salvage logs from Cyclone Ita. Fungi are an abundant yet poorly described part of the biodiversity on deadwood but, with the advent of affordable eDNA tools, their identification and quantification can be used to deliver enduring, robust, low-impact salvage strategies to MPI and DOC — providing conservation revenue and a high value resource.
|
