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Home > Environmental Issues |
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TerraNature provides a greater awareness of New Zealand environmental issues, and a changing environment worldwide, to encourage protection of nature. TerraNature acts to restore and protect ecological systems, and cause influence to oppose activities that threaten or change life on Earth. |
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Permafrost threatened by rapid retreat of Arctic sea ice The rate of climate warming over northern Alaska, Canada, and Russia could triple during periods of rapid sea ice loss. New research raises concerns about thawing of permafrost or permanently frozen soil, and the consequences for ecosystems, human infrastructure, and release of additional greenhouse gases.
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Explorers marvel at thriving brittlestar colony on a Macquarie Ridge seamount Scientists exploring the vast subantarctic underwater Macquarie Ridge mountain range south of New Zealand have found a unique brittlestar colony covering 100 sq.km. The rare species has thrived against daunting odds on a 850 metre peak of a seamount in a fast moving ocean current.
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Earth impacts linked to human-caused climate change Human-caused climate change has impacted a wide range of Earth's natural systems, from permafrost thawing to plants blooming earlier across Europe to declining productivity in African lakes. The disappearance of lakes in Siberia is evident over 25 years, as permafrost thaws and water drains deeper into the ground.
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Critically endangered seabird losing its pulling power Molecular analysis of one of the world’s rarest seabirds could prevent extinction. It was found that 95 percent of the critically endangered taiko Pterodroma magentae non-breeding adults are male. A low population level may be making it difficult for males to attract a mate.
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Tasman Glacier retreat is extreme The Tasman Glacier, New Zealand's largest glacier, is retreating faster than ever and will ultimately disappear, glaciologists are warning. There was no lake in front of the glacier in 1973. The lake formed by ice melt from the glacier has now grown to 7km long, 2km wide and 245m deep. It could grow to a length of 16km.
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Antarctic ice shelf disintegration Nearly 14,000 sq.km of the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the southwest Antarctic Peninsula has begun to collapse. The Peninsula has had Earth's biggest temperature increase in the last 50 years, rising 0.5°C (0.9 °F) a decade. This latest ice shelf collapse indicates that global warming is changing Antarctic ice more quickly than predicted.
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No environmental consideration of bottom trawling in orange roughy allowable catch decision Bottom trawling in the EEZ contradicts New Zealand's 2006 United Nations position, and interim measures by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization. Damage to marine ecosystems and other management policies are ignored in quota decisions.
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Orange roughy commercial catch reduced to an all time low The Minister of Fisheries has lowered the 2007-08 orange roughy quota in the Northern fishery by 38 percent to 870 tonnes, and in the Chatham Rise and Southern fishery by 11 percent to 13,082 tonnes. The Western South Island fishery has been closed altogether.
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Melting Arctic summer sea ice reaches lowest level The 2007 Arctic summer ice has reached the lowest extent of perennial ice cover on record - nearly 25 percent less than the previous low set in 2005. This year it is about 38 percent lower than the climatological average. This dramatic reduction is further confirmation of the occurrence of climate change.
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Agreement to restrict South Pacific high seas bottom trawling - is it enough?
Twenty nations negotiating the formation of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, have agreed to interim measures to control high seas bottom trawling. Fishers must show no significant adverse effect on seamount, hydrothermal vent, coral and sponge ecosystems.
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The incredible journey of sooty shearwater from New Zealand to the north Pacific for an endless summer
Scientists show the path of shearwater that breed on New Zealand islands and migrate each year in an incredible transequatoral 64,000 kilometre journey to Japan, Alaska or California for the northern summer. It is the longest animal migration that has ever been electronically recorded.
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UN stark predictions of impact of climate change The IPCC has issued the second report this year, providing predictions of the impacts of climate change. By 2030, drought is projected in some eastern areas of New Zealand, and by 2020 significant loss of biodiversity will occur in some ecologically rich sites, including the subantarctic islands and alpine areas.
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Climate change becomes a campaign issue in the US Democrat race for the White House Presidential candidate, John Edwards, has called for cleaner use of coal to fight global warming. He proposes a ban on any new coal-burning power plant that does not capture carbon dioxide. It is the first time an environmental issue has been introduced so prominently in a campaign.
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Global companies, states and city government react to climate change
In the wake of a surge of climate change reports, many global companies, and state and local governments are taking initiatives that surpass the snail's pace policymaking of national governments. In a new way to be "green", companies that realise a hotter climate is bad for business want immediate action.
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Scientists find lakes and rivers beneath fast moving Antarctic ice that lubricate flow |
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UN delivers warning on the catastrophe of climate change
Average global temperatures of 6.4°C and higher near the poles could occur by 2100, according to the most authoritative report yet on global warming, by hundreds of scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This worst case would make agriculture, even life, almost impossible over much of the Earth.
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Carbon dioxide rate is at highest level for 650,000 years
The concentration of atmospheric CO2 in 2005 was 379 parts per million, according to the IPCC. This compares to a pre-industrial level of 278 ppm, and a range over 650,000 years of 180 to 300 ppm. A faster build-up is shown by the 1995 to 2005 annual average increase of 1.9 ppm, which was 1.4 ppm from 1960 to 2005.
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Now it is up to the world's political leaders to deliver more than hot air
The latest report unveiled by the IPCC is humanity's loudest warning of the catastrophe that is threatening to overtake the world. The public appetite for serious action is growing. The scientific case for action is beyond doubt, to slow the temperature increase that is now regarded as irreversible.
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Extremely rare gecko reappears in Coromandel home garden
A male Coromandel striped gecko, New Zealand's rarest reptile and the world's rarest species of gecko, has shown up in a Coromandel suburban garden. It is the third live specimen to be found since the species was discovered in 1997, and the only one now living. A four-year search after the only female died was unsuccessful.
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Status of six birds improve and ten worsen in the latest New Zealand threatened species list
The 2005 Threat Classification System list that has just been released lists a better status for the Codfish Island fernbird, crested grebe, Campbell mollymawk, black petrel, New Zealand storm-petrel, and masked booby, but the status of ten other native birds has deteriorated.
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Threatened status of two NZ native birds worsens in 2006 global listing
The sooty shearwater has entered the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as 'near threatened', and the Australasian bittern's status has worsened to 'endangered'. The New Zealand storm-petrel which was previously thought to be extinct is listed as 'critically endangered'.
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Climate change reduces ocean food supply, threatening marine ecosystems
When Earth's climate warms there is a reduction in the ocean's primary food supply which threatens fisheries and ecosystems. Scientists have found that when climate temperatures increased, marine plant life of tiny phytoplankton declined, but when it cooled plant life became more productive.
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Global bottom trawling moratorium is blocked at the United Nations
Immediate action to stop destruction of high seas biodiversity through a global moratorium on bottom trawling has been blocked during UN negotiations. A compromise agreement for protection of vulnerable areas, which got interest from some nations that have opposed a ban, was also derailed.
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Australia adds Orange Roughy to threatened species list
Orange roughy will be added to the threatened species list under Australian environment law, as conservation dependent. It is the country's first commercially harvested fish to be listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
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Arctic summer sea ice falls below normal for fifth year, despite a cool August
The average sea ice extent at the end of the melting season was 5.9 million sq.km, the second lowest on record, missing the 2005 record by 340,000 sq.km. The decline is now 8.6 percent per decade. A feature of the melt season was a polynya, an area of water surrounded by ice as big as the State of Indiana.
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Orange roughy fishing quota is reduced by 43 percent
Commercial catch limits for orange roughy in the northern North Island will be reduced by 43% to 800 tonnes/year, and limits for the Chatham Rise and southern New Zealand fishery will be reduced by 10% to 11,500 tonnes. The Minister of Fisheries said he is aware of ongoing difficulties of managing the orange roughy fisheries.
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Rapid changes in Arctic sea ice |
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Melting permafrost methane emissions: Another threat to climate change
Permafrost in Siberia is melting due to global warming, releasing five times more methane gas than previously predicted. Increased emissions will accelerate warming to cause even more melting. This suggests that the planet is approaching a tipping point with an irreversible acceleration in climate change.
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NZ government’s stance on bottom trawling in international waters is weak and ineffective |
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Ice bubbles reveal biggest rise in CO2 for 800,000 years
Air bubbles trapped in the oldest Antarctic ice core show a rapid rise in greenhouse gases over the last century is unprecedented in at least 800,000 years. New research highlights the reality of climate change. Humans are changing the composition of the atmosphere in a manner that has no known natural parallel.
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The most destructive practice on the marine environment the world has ever known |
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A disaster to take everyone's breath away
Severe drought is returning to the Amazon for the second successive year. Research shows that one further dry year beyond that could tip the whole forest into a cycle of destruction to become desert. Global warming and deforestation are pushing the Amazon and the world towards the brink of disaster.
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Countries work towards a worldwide moratorium on bottom trawling at the United Nations
Discussion on high seas bottom trawling is reaching maturity, and the issue is expected to receive significant attention at the UN General Assembly in November 2006. A growing number of countries now say a moratorium is needed throughout the high seas.
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Four fishing companies propose token measure, to stop Indian Ocean bottom trawling
A proposal by four international fishing companies, including the New Zealand company Sealord, to stop bottom
trawling in areas of the Southern Indian Ocean, is an attempt to divert attention away from a possible
United Nations high seas moratorium. |
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NZ government drags its feet on bottom trawling ban
New Zealand keeps announcing strategies on high seas bottom trawling, and cooperation with other countries, but no action has been taken and destruction of seafloor biodiversity continues. The government has shunned the United Nation's process that could impose a worldwide moratorium.
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Court temporarily blocks US Navy's use of sonar in Hawaiian war games A US Federal Court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the use of high-intensity, mid-frequency sonar by the US Navy in naval exercises off Hawaii. The NRDC lawsuit said that the use of mid-frequency sonar during RIMPAC exercises posed an unnecessary and avoidable threat to marine mammals.
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3 degrees: Chief scientist warns bigger rise in world's temperature will put 400
million at risk
Temperature is on course to rise more than 3degC despite efforts to combat global warming,
warns Britain's chief scientist. Sir David King issued a stark wake-up call that
climate change could cause famine and drought unless the world's politicians take urgent
action.
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High risk of extinction from Powelliphanta snail
translocation
Conservation Minister Chris Carter has approved the translocation of the critically endangered
land snail Powelliphanta "Augustus", to allow coal mining in it's only habitat.
A DoC report says that not mining is the only option that ensures the species does not become
extinct. |
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A victory for whales! |
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Humans cause a surge of extinctions |
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Survey detects significant Antarctic ice mass loss
The first gravity survey of the entire Antarctic ice sheet, concludes the ice mass has
decreased significantly, enough to raise global sea level about 1.2 mm during the survey
period, or about 13% of the overall rise in sea level. The ice sheet lost 152 cu.km
annually between 2002 and 2005. |
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Greenland ice loss doubles in past decade, raising sea level
faster
The loss of ice from Greenland doubled between 1996 and 2005, as its glaciers flowed faster
into the ocean in response to a warmer climate. The changes to Greenland's glaciers are
widespread, progressively affecting the entire ice sheet, and increasing its
contribution to global sea level rise.
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The costs of seismic exploration |
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Diverse bycatch reveals extensive bottom trawling seabed destruction |
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NZ government to protect seamounts from bottom trawling, but grants another
mineral prospecting licence
The Ministry of Fisheries proposes to protect 30 percent of the New Zealand EEZ from
destruction by bottom trawl fishing. Meanwhile the Ministry of Economic Development issues
another licence for deep seabed mineral prospecting.
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Global warming: Severe glacial reduction in southern Alaska
Striking comparative images of extensive retraction of glaciers in Glacier Bay during more than
100 years, show how fast Earth is warming, and the complexity of the impact of climate
change.
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Environment in crisis: 'We are past the point of no return'
Prominent scientist James Lovelock has reached his astonishing conclusion that climate
change is insoluble, and life on Earth will never be the same again. He says the world has
passed the point of no return for climate change, and civilisation is unlikely to survive.
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New Zealand joins 16 countries in diplomatic protest on whaling
Sixteen countries have urged Japan to stop killing whales for alleged scientific
research. New Zealand joined with other nations to denounce the Japanese programme
which will take 935 minke whales from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary this season.
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Underwater noise: Death knell of our oceans
Most marine animals are dependent on sound, sometimes for all aspects of their life.
Noise from a single seismic survey can flood a region of almost 300,000 sq.km, causing
disruption with noise levels 100 times higher. Man-made noise has killed and deafened
marine animals.
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20 years on and whales are under threat again
Dust down the slogan, it's needed once again: Save The Whale. Twenty years after the
introduction of the international whaling moratorium that was supposed to protect them,
the great whales face renewed and mortal dangers in 2006. |
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World is at its hottest since prehistory |
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Daring rescue of whale off Farallones |
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Man will 'wipe out' rare creatures of the deep |
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Conflicting uses with New Zealand control of its ocean territory
Management of the largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Ocean
is seriously inconsistent, as one branch of government rushes to establish unregulated
mineral mining, but conservation is held up because of no Oceans Policy or legislation.
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Sensitive seamount ecosystems now under threat from mining
Mineral mining that is targeting seamounts and hydrothermal vents on the Kermadec
Ridge will alter geochemistry and potentially cause the extinction of unique microbial
flora. The Brothers and Rumble III seamounts are closed to fishing to protect
sensitive habitats, but are now subjected to surface mining.
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Mining company seeks two more Kermadec deepsea prospecting licences |
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Asian tsunami damage prompts reconsideration in New Zealand
A tsunami similar to the Indian Ocean disaster in 2004 would devastate many New Zealand
coastal areas and overwhelm civil defence. The scale of the damage
prompts re-evaluation of tsunami hazards, particularly coastal development. |
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Takahe numbers increase significantly |
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Threatened status of nine NZ native birds worsens in global listing
Red-crowned parakeet and rock wren join the world's threatened species, in an update of
the 2005 IUCN Red List. Chatham Island shag and orange-fronted parakeet are in
more trouble as critically endangered; and NZ dotterel, Pitt Island shag,
black-billed gull, kaka, and yellowhead rose to endangered.
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Kermadec Ridge mineral prospecting: Deepsea exploitation without review |
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Voluntary action fails to save seabirds |
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The end for GM crops: Final British trial confirms threat to wildlife
The fourth and final trial found again, that genetically modified crops can be harmful
to wildlife. The powerful weedkillers that the crops are engineered to tolerate
would bring further damage to a countryside devastated by intensive farming.
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How clean and green is New Zealand: Freshwater ecosystems are at risk |
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Global warming: 2004 fourth warmest in over a century The
year 2004 was the fourth warmest on average for the planet since the late
1800s. The 2004 average temperature at Earth's surface was 0.48 degrees C or 0.86 F
above the average from 1951 to 1980. Globally, 1998 was the warmest year
on record, with 2002 and 2003 second and third. |
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The return of the saddleback |
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Deepsea fisheries: Government response to bottom trawling is not good enough |
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Global warming - Antarctic Peninsula glaciers surge when ice shelf breaks up |
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Seamounts - discovery of a new ocean world |
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Resource Management Act public objection is threatened
Since the Project Aqua hydroelectric project has been scrapped, business groups and
government opposition parties seek to make consent under the RMA easier, with limited
notification that takes away public submission rights of parties that are not directly
affected. |
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Deepsea fisheries - Scientists call for deepsea coral protection
In unprecedented action, 1,136 marine scientists and conservation biologists have
called on governments and the United Nations to protect threatened deepsea coral and
sponge ecosystems, with a moratorium on bottom trawl fishing.
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Deepsea fisheries - Rough seas for orange roughy
Overfishing is causing the demise of orange roughy and other fish,
according to World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC research.
Expanding, unregulated fishing in deep waters is fast depleting species that could
become commercially extinct if protective measures are not taken immediately.
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Kiwi recovery: Successes and failures |
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Genetic modification |
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Global warming - Black soot and snow: |
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Global warming: Recent warming of Arctic may affect worldwide climate |
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Global warming: South American glaciers melting faster, changing sea level |
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Seabird protection: Government plan to save endangered seabirds is not good enough |
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