Environment
New Thinking
New Zealand ´game´ takes centre stage
Landcare Research scientists are to take a ´game´ developed in New Zealand and based on future planning scenarios, to the world.
Demand for organic certification growing
The organic certification of AgResearch’s Textile Processing Plant has opened the door to the rapidly expanding and highly competitive world of commercial certified organic products.
TransTasman scientists study livestock methane
AgResearch and Australian scientists will jointly investigate ways of reducing the impact of livestock methane emissions by finding out more about the digestive processes in the rumen of livestock.
NZ system eyed for use on ice
Antarctic Treaty nations will decide in June whether to adopt a framework developed by Landcare Research scientists for classifying physical environments over the entire frozen continent.
Climate change pioneer honoured
Lincoln University and Landcare Research have announced that Dr Francis (Frank) Kelliher has been appointed to the newly created position of Professorial Research Fellow, Soil and Environmental Sciences, at Lincoln University.
Reducing carbon costs of building a bid step forward
A proposal to require assessment of the overall carbon cost of producing, maintaining and using new buildings is a big step forward in sustainable thinking, say Landcare Research scientists.
Research builds bridge over troubled water
A new Landcare Research project aims to improve cooperation on water management, and bridge rifts over managing water and other natural resources.
More scientists needed to fight global warming
If New Zealand is to achieve the Government’s stated aim of becoming a carbon neutral economy, it will need many more scientists investigating ways of reducing the carbon footprint of agriculture and other economic activities in this country, says AgResearch Chief Executive Dr Andrew West.
Eagle eye on erosion will help reduce flood risk
Landcare Research scientists have helped to develop a system for gauging the effects of erosion in New Zealand. Their work will help regional councils identify and target the most vulnerable land, to minimise erosion and flood damage.
Scientists aim to improve wastewater
Cleaner wastewater entering New Zealand's waterways is the vision of two scientists at Rotorua Crown Research Institute Scion, and their work is a step closer thanks to scholarships received by the pair.
New Science
New carbon footprinting project underway
An ambitious new project to establish a standardised approach to measuring Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions for one of the country’s leading export industries is about to begin.
Moa research takes big step forward
Landcare Research scientists Dr Jamie Wood and Dr Janet Wilmshurst along with Professor Alan Cooper and Mr Trevor Worthy at the University of Adelaide aim to learn more of the diets of moa and other large extinct birds and the effect their snacking had on our ecology
Doom for Algal Bloom?
An innovative solution to a billion-dollar problem has been successfully trialled by Scion. A modified form of zeolite, a natural volcanic mineral, looks set to be a new tool in the campaign to mitigate the effects of nutrient run-off in New Zealand's lakes and waterways.
A gnawing question answered?
Radiocarbon dating of Pacific rat (kiore) bones and rat–gnawed native seeds have provided compelling new evidence into the timing of New Zealand´s colonisation.
No Environmental Impact from Genetically Modified Research Trees
Results from New Zealand's most comprehensive, independent scientific field trial of genetically modified trees support the argument that GM trees are low-risk and can be safely introduced into the environment, with no negative effects on other organisms.
Scion sheds light on insect control
Most people turn off the lights to keep creepy critters away. But Scion is turning them on. The Crown Research Institute is trialling yellow lighting systems as a means of repelling insects, research which could reduce the need for methyl bromide treatments at wood processing sites.
Solving the P problem
NIWA scientists are part of team which is finding ways to reduce the phosphorus problem in lakes.
Gas-gobbler from hell could help save world
GNS Scientist Matthew Stott has discovered a tiny methane-eating bug from the depths of hell that is being championed as a potential means of cutting methane emissions.
New Zealand Glaciers Shrinking
New Zealand’s glaciers are shrinking and twelve of the largest glaciers in the Southern Alps are unlikely to return to their earlier lengths without extraordinary cooling of the climate.
Study shows wood pellet burners improve air quality in Rotorua
With nightly winter fires nearly over for 2007, Rotorua home owners are being urged to consider switching to clean burning wood pellet burners before next winter. A study carried out by Crown Research Institute Scion has shown that using pellets, rather than wood, could significantly cut emissions of PM10 and help improve air quality in the city.
New Value
Software solution to help farmers meet Kyoto
A smart software solution developed by MAF, AgResearch and FertResearch will enable farmers across the country to accurately estimate their greenhouse gas emissions and help New Zealand comply with its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.
Rain puts dampener on Scion's experimental burns
Whilst most of New Zealand has been praying for rain this summer, Scion's fire researchers have had more than their fair share of it. Experimental burns taking place on Mount Torlesse in Canterbury have been plagued by bad weather, but despite this, useful information has been collected to help in the fight against wildfires.
NZ dairy farms losing advantage over EU
New Zealand dairy farms are slipping in terms of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas efficiency, and urgently need to focus on improved farm practices and intensification options to reverse the trend.
German experience leads To Enviro–Mark record
Wellington–based CatzDesign has become the fastest organisation to achieve Enviro–Mark NZ® Diamond certification, as part of a genuine commitment towards greater environmental sustainability.
Win-win as odour control enables biogas capture
A NIWA-designed pond cover for a piggery not only stops the pong but also captures methane.
Orange-flavoured vitamin gel brings bitter end to possums
An orange-flavoured green gel with a calcium kick and a bitter aftertaste has proved delicious but deadly for possums. 'No Possums' was developed through a collaboration between Landcare Research, the Animal Health Board and Christchurch company Kiwicare Corporation.
Time for action on troublesome trees
Wilding conifers are increasingly a scourge on the landscape. Now for the first time, all agencies and land managers concerned about the pest trees have banded together. Landcare Research is helping to find out the extent of the wilding problem and how best to deal with it.
Blitzing Grass Grub
Pasture production on parts of a Landcorp Farming Ltd farm in the central North Island has almost doubled thanks to a biocontrol that is blitzing grass grub populations.
On the scent of the clover root weevil
AgResearch's Lincoln-based scientists are hot on the scent of odours that will attract and ultimately trap the clover root weevil - a major clover pasture pest.
Landcare Research wins satellite Opportunities
Landcare Research proposals to two newly-launched satellites has won them free data for investigations into several topical resource management issues.
