title: The ecology of community environmental groups: Integrating restoration, partnerships and citizen science

authors: Peters, Monica Annabel

subjects: conservation

abstract: New Zealand is facing a biodiversity crisis as forest and wetland habitat loss continue, and the quality of freshwater declines. But in recent years, a grassroots, nationwide network of community environmental groups has been expanding its contribution to restoring, protecting and enhancing these terrestrial and aquatic habitats. At the same time, government agencies are becoming increasingly reliant on voluntary community input to enhance conservation outcomes and to manage freshwater values. Globally, volunteer participation in environmental monitoring (citizen science) is recognised as an important mechanism for producing robust data that contributes to research, management and policy development, and for enhancing scientific and environmental literacy. New Zealand, however, lags far behind international efforts in acknowledging the value of, and uses for, the type of data that community groups undertaking environmental restoration may generate. Furthermore, strategies and policies around supporting community data generation as well as use have not yet been developed at a government level.  

This study sought to address this shortcoming by investigating characteristics of New Zealand community environmental groups and their projects, partnerships between groups and their project supporters, and the current and potential roles of environmental monitoring by these groups (i.e., citizen science). Data to inform this investigation was gathered using an online questionnaire sent to 540 community environmental groups across New Zealand, and 34 semi-structured interviews with project partners (e.g., resource managers and scientists),  including nine interviews with members of four well–established (>10 y) community environmental groups. Qualitative data from the questionnaire and interviews were analysed using inductive and deductive thematic analysis, and quantitative data from the questionnaire were analysed for frequency counts, chi-square significance and Random Forest modelling. 

Most groups surveyed were in existence for ≥ 6 y, small (up to 20 participants), and comprised older participants, aged 51-65 y. Groups reported focussing their restoration efforts on a variety of ecosystem types including forests (64%), streams (42%) and freshwater wetlands (33%), which were mostly situated on agency-owned or administered land (68%, n=290). Over two-thirds of groups combined environmental actions (particularly weed and pest control, and native tree planting), with advocacy and educational activities. The vast majority (93%, n=295) of groups relied on their project partners for support (e.g., site visits, funding and technical support), and reported a need for ongoing support in the future. Groups managing larger areas (≥ 8.1 ha), with medium to high partner support, and working on Department of Conservation or private land were more likely to be conducting their own monitoring. Their data were primarily used to support funding applications (63%; n=151), inform project restoration management, and share results with resource management agencies (both 60%; n=151), and for educational purposes (48%; n=157). Conducting water quality monitoring emerged as a strong area of interest for future work, though groups reported a lack of funding and people (both 45%; n=98), as well as technical skills (31%) as the largest challenges they faced for establishing new monitoring programmes generally. Project partners expressed concern over data quality and highlighted a lack of institutional systems for using community-generated data. 

This study provides insights into the methods used by groups to address environmental degradation in New Zealand and the contextual factors that shape their project activities. Enduring partnerships are critical, and more strategic approaches that are designed to support groups and their projects in the long-term are required. Both restoration and citizen science activities by groups are generally carried out independently of other groups, highlighting the need for improved networks between groups and with key agency project partners in order to: (1) achieve stronger conservation outcomes; (2) quantify restoration gains, and (3) improve the efficiency and efficacy of the limited resourcing available. At the same time, expectations of enhancing groups’ conservation and citizen science outputs must be balanced with the voluntary nature of community groups.

text: The ecology of community environmental groups: Integrating restoration, partnerships and citizen science New Zealand is facing a biodiversity crisis as forest and wetland habitat loss continue, and the quality of freshwater declines. But in recent years, a grassroots, nationwide network of community environmental groups has been expanding its contribution to restoring, protecting and enhancing these terrestrial and aquatic habitats. At the same time, government agencies are becoming increasingly reliant on voluntary community input to enhance conservation outcomes and to manage freshwater values. Globally, volunteer participation in environmental monitoring (citizen science) is recognised as an important mechanism for producing robust data that contributes to research, management and policy development, and for enhancing scientific and environmental literacy. New Zealand, however, lags far behind international efforts in acknowledging the value of, and uses for, the type of data that community groups undertaking environmental restoration may generate. Furthermore, strategies and policies around supporting community data generation as well as use have not yet been developed at a government level.  

This study sought to address this shortcoming by investigating characteristics of New Zealand community environmental groups and their projects, partnerships between groups and their project supporters, and the current and potential roles of environmental monitoring by these groups (i.e., citizen science). Data to inform this investigation was gathered using an online questionnaire sent to 540 community environmental groups across New Zealand, and 34 semi-structured interviews with project partners (e.g., resource managers and scientists),  including nine interviews with members of four well–established (>10 y) community environmental groups. Qualitative data from the questionnaire and interviews were analysed using inductive and deductive thematic analysis, and quantitative data from the questionnaire were analysed for frequency counts, chi-square significance and Random Forest modelling. 

Most groups surveyed were in existence for ≥ 6 y, small (up to 20 participants), and comprised older participants, aged 51-65 y. Groups reported focussing their restoration efforts on a variety of ecosystem types including forests (64%), streams (42%) and freshwater wetlands (33%), which were mostly situated on agency-owned or administered land (68%, n=290). Over two-thirds of groups combined environmental actions (particularly weed and pest control, and native tree planting), with advocacy and educational activities. The vast majority (93%, n=295) of groups relied on their project partners for support (e.g., site visits, funding and technical support), and reported a need for ongoing support in the future. Groups managing larger areas (≥ 8.1 ha), with medium to high partner support, and working on Department of Conservation or private land were more likely to be conducting their own monitoring. Their data were primarily used to support funding applications (63%; n=151), inform project restoration management, and share results with resource management agencies (both 60%; n=151), and for educational purposes (48%; n=157). Conducting water quality monitoring emerged as a strong area of interest for future work, though groups reported a lack of funding and people (both 45%; n=98), as well as technical skills (31%) as the largest challenges they faced for establishing new monitoring programmes generally. Project partners expressed concern over data quality and highlighted a lack of institutional systems for using community-generated data. 

This study provides insights into the methods used by groups to address environmental degradation in New Zealand and the contextual factors that shape their project activities. Enduring partnerships are critical, and more strategic approaches that are designed to support groups and their projects in the long-term are required. Both restoration and citizen science activities by groups are generally carried out independently of other groups, highlighting the need for improved networks between groups and with key agency project partners in order to: (1) achieve stronger conservation outcomes; (2) quantify restoration gains, and (3) improve the efficiency and efficacy of the limited resourcing available. At the same time, expectations of enhancing groups’ conservation and citizen science outputs must be balanced with the voluntary nature of community groups.

year: 2016

title: How can genomic data inform biological invasions?

authors: Matheson, Paige

subjects: Genomics

abstract: Rates of biological invasions are increasing, with global trade and climate change causing significant damage to biodiversity, human well-being, primary industries, and economies around the world. However, our ability to predict and prevent future invasions is limited by significant gaps in our mechanistic understanding of the invasion process. Advances in next generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics make it possible to investigate potential genomic factors that drive invasion success with much higher resolution and accuracy than prior research based on a small number of genetic loci. My thesis argues for the value of population genomic data in invasion biology, first examining the uptake of genomics in invasion research and then providing a case study for using genomic data to understand invasion patterns of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella).

The first analysis (Chapter 2) compares the extent to which population genetic data versus population genomic data, including reference genomes, have been used or are publicly available to study globally invasive species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) “100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species” (WAS) list. In this chapter, I demonstrate that ‘invasion genomics’ is still in its infancy with respect to research uptake: while 82% of species on the WAS list have been studied using some form of population genetic data, just 32% have been studied using population genomic data. Further, 55% of the WAS list species lack a reference genome, however 18% of these were sequenced in the last three years, indicating a growing investment in genomic resources that looks promising for future invasion genomics research.

The second analysis (Chapter 3) showcases population genomic data being used as a tool to inform a biological invasion. Pink bollworm is one of the most destructive global pests of cotton, costing farmers millions of dollars each year in productivity losses and management efforts. A small population of pink bollworm is currently established in North West Australia, where it poses a significant threat to the expanding cotton industry there. In this chapter, I analysed genomic data in the form of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – obtained through a reduced representation, genotyping-by- sequencing technique (DArTseq) – for global populations of pink bollworm to elucidate the population structure and connectivity patterns of the pest. My results show that pink bollworm populations in my dataset have low genetic diversity and strong differentiation between populations from different continents. Importantly, the high genetic differentiation between Australia and other continents reduces concerns about gene flow to North West Australia, particularly from populations in India and Pakistan that have evolved resistance to transgenic insecticidal cotton.

As species continue to move globally beyond their natural ranges, understanding how genome-driven processes facilitate invasion is critical. Genomic data can enhance our mechanistic understanding of the invasion process and inform proactive management of invasive species. Yet, despite progress in this space, there remain limitations to the breadth and depth of such studies that are highlighted throughout my thesis. These represent valuable research opportunities. With the cost of generating genomic data constantly decreasing and long-read sequencing bridging the gap for many taxon-specific challenges, genomic data is starting to address many previously intractable research questions and has the potential to improve overall biosecurity outcomes worldwide.

text: How can genomic data inform biological invasions? Rates of biological invasions are increasing, with global trade and climate change causing significant damage to biodiversity, human well-being, primary industries, and economies around the world. However, our ability to predict and prevent future invasions is limited by significant gaps in our mechanistic understanding of the invasion process. Advances in next generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatics make it possible to investigate potential genomic factors that drive invasion success with much higher resolution and accuracy than prior research based on a small number of genetic loci. My thesis argues for the value of population genomic data in invasion biology, first examining the uptake of genomics in invasion research and then providing a case study for using genomic data to understand invasion patterns of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella).

The first analysis (Chapter 2) compares the extent to which population genetic data versus population genomic data, including reference genomes, have been used or are publicly available to study globally invasive species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) “100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species” (WAS) list. In this chapter, I demonstrate that ‘invasion genomics’ is still in its infancy with respect to research uptake: while 82% of species on the WAS list have been studied using some form of population genetic data, just 32% have been studied using population genomic data. Further, 55% of the WAS list species lack a reference genome, however 18% of these were sequenced in the last three years, indicating a growing investment in genomic resources that looks promising for future invasion genomics research.

The second analysis (Chapter 3) showcases population genomic data being used as a tool to inform a biological invasion. Pink bollworm is one of the most destructive global pests of cotton, costing farmers millions of dollars each year in productivity losses and management efforts. A small population of pink bollworm is currently established in North West Australia, where it poses a significant threat to the expanding cotton industry there. In this chapter, I analysed genomic data in the form of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – obtained through a reduced representation, genotyping-by- sequencing technique (DArTseq) – for global populations of pink bollworm to elucidate the population structure and connectivity patterns of the pest. My results show that pink bollworm populations in my dataset have low genetic diversity and strong differentiation between populations from different continents. Importantly, the high genetic differentiation between Australia and other continents reduces concerns about gene flow to North West Australia, particularly from populations in India and Pakistan that have evolved resistance to transgenic insecticidal cotton.

As species continue to move globally beyond their natural ranges, understanding how genome-driven processes facilitate invasion is critical. Genomic data can enhance our mechanistic understanding of the invasion process and inform proactive management of invasive species. Yet, despite progress in this space, there remain limitations to the breadth and depth of such studies that are highlighted throughout my thesis. These represent valuable research opportunities. With the cost of generating genomic data constantly decreasing and long-read sequencing bridging the gap for many taxon-specific challenges, genomic data is starting to address many previously intractable research questions and has the potential to improve overall biosecurity outcomes worldwide.

year: 2022

title: HE PI KA RERE 'An Early Childhood Approach to a Cultural Milieu'

authors: Karu, Joceleen Helen

subjects: Early childhood education

abstract: This study explores the issues surrounding the inculcation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, Māori language customs and values among early childhood teacher educators in a tertiary setting and how these academics go about preparing students with limited or sufficient knowledge of te reo Māori (Māori language) me ngā tikanga Māori (Māori cultural practices) to meet expectations. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum is a curriculum commonly referred to as a bicultural curriculum that contains two expressions of the curriculum, one for general early childhood centres and another for kōhanga reo, neither of which are translations of one another and further asserts the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/ the Treaty of Waitangi and the responsibility of teachers for bicultural development in the education of all children. Equally important, Te Whāriki acknowledges the dual heritage existent within Aotearoa/ New Zealand and further encourages teachers in early childhood settings to have knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori. Policy imperatives reflected within the New Zealand Graduating Teaching Standards (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2010) and the Ministry of Education’s document Tātaiako/ Cultural Competencies (2011) place further emphasis on the need for those in initial teacher education to demonstrate their conversancy with te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
The purpose of this study is to provide a narrative of the ways in which the early childhood initial teacher education programme prepares students to use te reo and tikanga Māori. It offers a premise to engage in further discussion of the continued effectiveness of early childhood teacher educators in the maintenance and delivery of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori and sets in motion a cyclical platform for further research from a traditional worldview which reflects and embodies the Māori language, culture and identity through a Kaupapa Māori philosophy and praxis.

text: HE PI KA RERE 'An Early Childhood Approach to a Cultural Milieu' This study explores the issues surrounding the inculcation of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, Māori language customs and values among early childhood teacher educators in a tertiary setting and how these academics go about preparing students with limited or sufficient knowledge of te reo Māori (Māori language) me ngā tikanga Māori (Māori cultural practices) to meet expectations. Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum is a curriculum commonly referred to as a bicultural curriculum that contains two expressions of the curriculum, one for general early childhood centres and another for kōhanga reo, neither of which are translations of one another and further asserts the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/ the Treaty of Waitangi and the responsibility of teachers for bicultural development in the education of all children. Equally important, Te Whāriki acknowledges the dual heritage existent within Aotearoa/ New Zealand and further encourages teachers in early childhood settings to have knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori. Policy imperatives reflected within the New Zealand Graduating Teaching Standards (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2010) and the Ministry of Education’s document Tātaiako/ Cultural Competencies (2011) place further emphasis on the need for those in initial teacher education to demonstrate their conversancy with te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.
The purpose of this study is to provide a narrative of the ways in which the early childhood initial teacher education programme prepares students to use te reo and tikanga Māori. It offers a premise to engage in further discussion of the continued effectiveness of early childhood teacher educators in the maintenance and delivery of te reo me ngā tikanga Māori and sets in motion a cyclical platform for further research from a traditional worldview which reflects and embodies the Māori language, culture and identity through a Kaupapa Māori philosophy and praxis.

year: 2015