Island Conservation
The Million Dollar Mouse team is monitoring Antipodes Island’s native birds to compare population sizes before and after removal of invasive mice. One way to measure the effects of conservation fieldwork is to track the wildlife expected to benefit from restoration. On Antipodes Island, restoration specialists with the Million Dollar Mouse project banded native Pipits and Albatross chicks, […]
How do you know what day it is on Antipodes Island? If it’s pizza night, it must be Friday. Long weeks of hard work in the field on a subantarctic island call for a special treat to kick off the weekend, and Million Dollar Mouse chef Pete Kirkman makes the best pizza Antipodes Island has ever seen. […]
New Zealand’s Critically Endangered Kakapo, threatened by invasive species, sees a baby boom and high survival rate this year. A bird that can live to be 120 years old, doesn’t fly, forages at night, and charms the world never had a problem–until invasive species pushed it almost past the threshold of extinction. Now, thanks to intensive […]
NZ resolves to protect its native species by eradicating 100% of its invasive rats, weasels, and possums by 2050. New Zealand is renowned for its striking and iconic wildlife, including the endangered Kiwi and Kakapo. Unfortunately, many of NZ’s native species must run the gauntlet of survival amidst a sea of invasive predators that have run amok across […]
The New Zealand Critically Endangered native plant Ngutukākā was pushed to the brink of extinction by invasive species but was saved by conservation efforts. The Critically Endangered Ngutukākā–or Kakabeak–is endemic to New Zealand. The plant was named for its flowers, which resemble the beak of the Kaka, an endangered bird native to New Zealand. The plant almost disappeared from the […]
Campaign hits major milestone in effort to protect rare and threatened birds like the ground dwelling Antipodean Parakeet. We are pleased to announce that the Million Dollar Mouse Campaign has achieved the near-impossible. The operations to remove damaging invasive mice to protect native species on Antipodes Island has been successfully completed by an international partnership. […]
Antipodes Island and its plant life are rugged…to say the least. Some of that ruggedness is rubbing off on me, the hard way.
Endangered Kiwi chick hatches at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia. The Kiwi is an important native bird of New Zealand. The feathered yet flightless creature was named by the Maori–the first people to ever live in New Zealand. The Kiwi is integral to Maori culture and considered sacred. It traditionally served as an occasional food […]
The New Zealand Department of Conservation has successfully eradicated invasive ants from Tiritiri Matanga Island, New Zealand. If ants have ever invaded your home, you know what a nuisance they can be–it can be very difficult to completely get rid of these persistent pests. Now imagine trying to eradicate ants from an entire island. Sound impossible? It’s […]
Island Conservation’s Jason Zito shares the latest news from the Antipodes Island Restoration Project Greetings friends from 49° latitude south! It’s been about a week since we landed on Antipodes Island, New Zealand and things are proceeding rapidly. Our team of 18 are all settled in camp and have been buzzing around busily lending hands […]