Environment & Ecology – Page 8 – Great Barrier Island News

Above: Motu Aotea is ditching single-use takeaway coffee cups. Photo / Greta Recup / Creative Commons

Environment & Ecology

Retailer Trashes Disposable Coffee Cup Ban

Above: Aotea has dumped single-use takeaway coffee cups. Photo / Greta Recup / Creative Commons In a move that stirred both support and concern among local businesses, the ban on disposable coffee cups introduced in October 2023 has sharply divided…

Hugh Chittock / Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA

Environment & Ecology

West Antarctica’s ice sheet was smaller thousands of years ago – here’s why this matters today

Photo / Hugh Chittock/Antarctica New Zealand, CC BY-SA By Dan Lowry, GNS Science and Holly Kyeore Han, NASA As the climate warms and Antarctica’s glaciers and ice sheets melt, the resulting rise in sea level has the potential to displace…

Okupu Native Plants Thrive in Battle Against Kikuyu. Photo / AGBILB

Environment & Ecology

Poison-Free Prosperity as Okupu Beach Natives Thrive

Okupu Native Plants Thrive in Battle Against Kikuyu. Photo / AGBILB More than 150 native plants are flourishing in Okupu, Great Barrier Island, following a pioneering approach to combating the invasive kikuyu grass. Funded by a $25,000 grant from the…

Kevin Parker Engages in the Delicate Task of Banding a North Island Robin. Photo / Supplied

Environment & Ecology

Conservation Chronicles: Windy Sanctuary’s Ongoing Efforts Pay Off with Increased Wildlife Sightings

Each month, Judy Gilbert, founding Trustee and voluntary manager of the Windy Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, shares a summary of the latest happenings and conservation efforts at the Sanctuary. Stay updated on the sanctuary's progress and exciting wildlife discoveries with 'What’s…

Environment & Ecology

Climate Change Uncorks New Wine Flavours

The far-reaching consequences of climate change inevitably include the production of foods and beverages, including wine.

Grazing into the Future: Alternative Proteins Could Reshape New Zealand's Landscape. Photo / Bernard Spragg / CC

Environment & Ecology

Beyond Meat and Milk: Agricultural Sectors at a Crossroads

Grazing into the Future: Alternative Proteins Could Reshape New Zealand’s Landscape. Photo / Bernard Spragg / CC By Christopher Rosin, Lincoln University, New Zealand and Hugh Campbell, University of Otago The history of farming is seeded with technological “big bang”…

Buzz Off, Summer: NZ's Insects Are Autumn-Bound, and Your Garden's Their Haven. Photo / Andy Murray

Environment & Ecology

Insects are packing up for autumn – how we can help them through the cold

Buzz Off, Summer: NZ’s Insects Are Autumn-Bound, and Your Garden’s Their Haven. Photo / Andy Murray By Janice Lord, University of Otago and Connal McLean, Te Papa Tongarewa Chillier mornings and higher heating bills aren’t the only signs of the…

Environment & Ecology

Lost at Sea The Kermadec Sanctuary’s Missed Economic Opportunity

Sir John Key's ambitious vision for a sweeping ocean sanctuary enveloping the Kermadec Islands has been definitively quashed, as the coalition government ceases all efforts toward its legislation. Unveiled in 2015 by the then-Prime Minister amidst widespread global applause, the…

A curious congregation: Pyrosomes, the luminescent sea pickles of Boulder Bay, reveal the marvels of marine life on Great Barrier Island's shores. Photo / Richard Wallace

Environment & Ecology

Unraveling the Mystery of Boulder Bay’s ‘Sea Pickles’

A curious congregation: Pyrosomes, the luminescent sea pickles of Boulder Bay, reveal the marvels of marine life on Great Barrier Island’s shores. Photo / Richard Wallace The Great Barrier Island community has been taken by surprise with a flurry of…

Medlands Beach glimmers in the moonlight, a testament to Aotea/Great Barrier Island's commitment to preserving the dark, star-filled skies. Photo / Mark Russell

Environment & Ecology

Island Shines with International Dark Sky Week Proclamation

Medlands Beach glimmers in the moonlight, a testament to Aotea/Great Barrier Island’s commitment to preserving the dark, star-filled skies. Photo / Mark Russell Barrier’s Local Board has made a “Dark Sky Proclamation” on behalf of the island to mark International…