It’s hard for us in Central Otago to imagine what the pre-human vegetation looked like. The ravages of human-induced fire, domestic and feral mammalian herbivores and invasive weed species have almost completely erased our forest, but not quite everywhere. A recent field trip to the Lauder Basin Conservation Area took us back in time to a lush Broadleaf-Totara forest. Paleobotantist Mike Pole shared his expert knowledge of pre-human flora and fauna with us. It was cold and we got wet feet but all agreed it was worth the trek to see this protected rocky gorge. Thanks to Duncan and Raf for scoping the area and liasing with the landholder. If you missed out on this trip we hope to revisit the area in spring. This field trip completes our Seed Fund Investigation through the Otago Participatory Science Platform which is a collaborative partnership involving: Otago Museum (lead and host institution), Ngāi Tahu, University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic, NZ International Science Festival.
Thanks to: Craig Grant and the Otago Science Into Action (OSIA) Board; David Orlovich, Cathy Rufaut and the Otago University Botany Department; John Barkla and Craig Wilson, Department of Conservation; Bill Lee, Landcare Research; and the Knight and Shaw families for access to their properties.
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About usWe are a group of volunteers working to bring eco-sourced dryland native plants to parks, reserves and home gardens in Central Otago. Volunteer with usWe have regular working bees on: Categories
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