Department of Conservation (DOC)

We’re tackling climate change with lasers! 💥 Measuring the height of trees in New Zealand’s forests may sound like tough work, but cutting-edge technology could be the key to making it more efficient and accurate. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it as solid carbon in trunks, leaves, roots and branches. Therefore, knowing the size of the trees in our forests is crucial for carbon reporting and forest management. Traditionally, we’ve used manual instruments to measure tree heights. Now we have more sophisticated measuring technology, such as remote sensing, at our disposal. We’ve been working with Manaaki Whenua to measure forest at a field test site in Fiordland using helicopter-mounted hi-tech 3D lasers. The lasers produce high-definition, 3D images of a landscape including the vegetation. We still need to do rigorous testing to ensure the new technology is giving us accurate data on the size of trees – but remote sensing and capturing data using satellites, aircrafts or drones could be a real game changer! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4dRq2yW Virtual reality in action. A walk through a Waitutu Forest (Fiordland) plot, scanning the forest with lasers to create a 3d digital ‘twin’ of the real thing: youtu.be/-tVS7OnArb4 Credit: Interpine Innovation Photos: These colourful laser images give instant information on tree heights. The different colours denote different heights. It’s also an easy, efficient way to compare tree heights over time to see whether forest conditions are improving or deteriorating. Credit: Jan Schindler (Manaaki Whenua) and Interpine Innovation

Back in 2020, the Kea Conservation Trust saw the opportunity to apply for funding to tackle the massive job of removing lead from buildings where kea populations live near people. Kea are inquisitive and determined and they get into things they shouldn’t, like sweet- flavoured, chewable lead flashings and nail heads used on older building’s roofs. The toxic heavy metal is bad for kea and can lead to fatal lead poisoning. The Trust has removed over three tonnes of lead from buildings in places like Milford, Aoraki/ Mt Cook, Arthur’s Pass, Ōkārito, Nelson Lakes and Golden Bay. All up, approximately 50,000 square metres of roofing had lead flashings and lead head nails removed, which is the equivalent of 5 hectares, or just under the size of 5 rugby fields. Find out more about the work Kea Conservation Trust are doing here: https://bit.ly/4dTFHO0

Today is World Ranger Day! We're proud of all of our green and gold team every day of the year, but today is a specific chance to acknowledge rangers. They're hard-working, passionate, dedicated, courageous and resourceful. The work is varied and not always glamorous, and the stakes are high. Check out this blog full of selfies! They were taken by rangers and give you a window into their field work. https://lnkd.in/gEwYVxDm

Our crew do amazing things every day, and that's why we have the DOC Sounds of Science podcast, to share cools stories in our people's own words. Technical Advisor Cassie Mealey recently rehabilitated a tawaki/Fiordland crested penguin in her backyard. Not anyone can do this: Cassie is qualified to do this kind of work, and has a very specific set of skills. Listen to the podcast to learn more. The DOC Sounds of Science podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts--Apple pods, Spotify, and more, just search Sounds of Science. 📸: Cassie and the rehabilitated tawaki on release day, image: Cassie Mealey, DOC 📸: The tawaki swimming in Cassie's backyard pool, image: Cassie Mealey, DOC 📸: Tawaki grooming in the backyard pool, image: Cassie Mealey, DOC 📸: The tawaki swimming in Cassie's backyard pool, image: Cassie Mealey, DOC 📸: Tawaki having an itch in the pool, image: Cassie Mealey, DOC

The thing about our rangers is that they see all of the work first hand and up close. When this is tough, it's really tough. Like when all 34 chicks born in Shy Lake over 3 years died. But it means that when there is good news: we're all absolutely ecstatic. And today we have good news. Last year, we made a mini doco about the struggling population of Fiordland tokoeka kiwi in Shy Lake last year. If you haven't watched it, the TL;DW is that stoats were killing kiwi there at a rapid rate, and population survival was looking grim. After the use of aerial 1080 in the area to control stoats, we began seeing a slow but steady increase in kiwi numbers. Once kiwi chicks are over 1kg they can hold their own against stoats. So our job is to get as many chicks as possible to this safe weight. Here's the latest: 💚 11 chicks hatched chicks this season 💚 7 are still alive, with 3 now at safe weight 💚 DNA sexing shows 4 chicks are girls and 2 are boys, (and 1 is too small to get a pin feather sample from yet) 💚 The remaining 4 are between 600g and 900g and should reach 1kg in Spring, all going well 💚 If all 7 of this season’s chicks reach safe weight, that will be by far the best chick survival in a season since the study began 💚 Before 1080 was used in this area, chick survival per season was 0% The most recent 1080 drop in the Wet Jacket area (which includes Shy Lake) was in May 2024. We just got the results of the tracking data from that month and the trend of low stoat density after a 1080 operation continues, with just one mustelid leaving prints on a tracking tunnel in the whole treatment area. As a result of these operations, we're noticing an increase in other birds too--Doddy says there are loads more toutouwai and kākā around. Doddy's team have been going in every two weeks this season, doing tasks like changing the adults’ transmitter batteries, changing the nest camera SD cards, and changing transmitter harnesses on smaller chicks once a month. We’re very hopeful the last four chicks will make it to safe weight. Cross your fingers for them. We'll keep you updated. 📷: Doddy holding Cake’s latest chick, DOC 📷: Cake’s chick, born in February and weighed in at 560g in Jun, DOC 📷: Doddy crawling into a hole to extract Spanners for his transmitter change, DOC 📷: Edam O’malley, a female chick born in December who weighed in at 1.5kg in June, DOC 📷: Long John Silver’s chick (weighed 400g in this photo) but weighed in at 660g in June 📷: Doddy and Tim Raemaekers tracking kiwi, Lucy Holyoake DOC

It's Biosecurity Week! The New Zealand Biosecurity Institute has launched Biosecurity Week, starting today [Monday, 22 July] through to Sunday, 28 July. The theme this year, is 'Maintaining the Gains - Puritia te Aronga', which recognises the importance of tenacity in biosecurity. This week is aimed at highlighting the activities of all those involved in keeping New Zealand protected from invasive species. Acknowledging the local communities and mana whenua and their work to improve the health of the land and water. Biosecurity helps to prevent damage caused by unwanted organisms. These include animal pests, weeds, didymo, and diseases like kauri dieback. How you can help: - Keep a watch for anything that is potentially an unwanted pest of disease - Report any sightings to the MPI free 24-hour emergency hotline 0800 80 99 66 To find out more about Biodiversity Week, make sure to follow this link to the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute's website: https://bit.ly/4cQIDuD To find out how biosecurity is important to the conservation of our native species and fauna follow this link to our website: https://bit.ly/4cRl8lc 📷: 1. Ranger checking DOC150 trap used as a surveillance tool on one of our pest-free islands 2. Netting koi carp near Motueka Image: Suze Harris | DOC 3. Kauri dieback cleaning station, Parihaka, Whangarei

Together with Te Ao Hou marae, neighbouring properties in Aramoho and Horizons Regional Council, we've been creating 500m of additional spawning habitat for whitebait species inanga/atutahi in the lower Whanganui River. Through a series of hui and site assessments, the riverbank beside Te Ao Hou was identified as a place suitable for a collaborative restoration project. It has been a truly collaborative project. Te Ao Hou marae, is excited to see the continuation of riverbank restoration which has been part of their vision for the marae and the involvement of us and Horizons Regional Council has helped speed up the work. The restoration project is a win-win for the marae, thanks to the use of Whanganui tribal knowledge systems, science, and collaboration with the community. “Healing the river is also healing for us. We want to create a paradise" - Te Ao Hou marae Check out this video to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gy6XYa2s Read more here: https://bit.ly/4cqngAb

Celebrate Conservation Week 2024 from 2-8 September. How are you going to take action for nature during Conservation Week 2024? Get some ideas: https://lnkd.in/grbC7VS Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news, events and updates for Conservation Week: https://bit.ly/3S61mtY

We’ve been named in the Randstad New Zealand Research 2024 as New Zealand’s second most attractive place to work. 🥈   Our Director-General, Penny Nelson, said “we are humbled by this and think it’s a reflection of the importance and value New Zealanders place on nature and caring for our special places and native species.” 🌿   “Working to protect native wildlife and restore habitats can be rewarding, however we recognise we still have challenges in making DOC a great place to work for and work with. We are making good progress to ensure this happens.” Read more: https://bit.ly/4cDyoKm

It’s been a huge pleasure and a win for us to have NIWA’s Gregor Macara working with us over the last four and half years. There’s nothing quite like collaboration to advance our conservation mahi!