kiwisforthesummer2016

Building relationships with each other and our world.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

kiwisforthesummer2016: NZ is a biodiversity hotspot with a large number of endemic species - 1865 plant, 63 bird, 47 skink/gecko, 2 tuatara, 2 bat, 4 amphibian and a large number of invertebrate, fish, and marine species. NZ is “clean and green” but faces many environmental challenges to retain its unique natural heritage. Since Maori first arrived nearly 800 years ago, and after European colonization over 200 years ago, humans have dramatically impacted NZ and many remaining species are in danger of going extinct. Not unlike many places around the world, developed urban and rural properties are situated near or in habitats that sustain native plant and animal communities. Conserving and restoring biodiversity in highly-modified environments is a struggle, and the focus of this course is to expose students to how “kiwis” have tackled this problem. Students learn about ways to conserve, manage and restore natural habitat and promote biodiversity in urban and rural environments; examine how planners/policymakers/developers/the public conserve biodiversity; and explore the unique flora and fauna of NZ.

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