BiodiversityNZ

BiodiversityNZ is a research project that aims to contribute to the discussion on how New Zealand can safeguard biodiversity and the environment.

The project aims to contribute to a discussion on how we protect, maintain and build our existing ecosystems. A significant portion of New Zealand’s flora and fauna is found nowhere else on earth, yet many species are already extinct, or near extinction.

BiodiversityNZ (formerly EcologicalCorridorsNZ) is an ongoing research project that explores how to protect these species and their unique habitats. Due to New Zealand’s geographical isolation and unique geography, the country is home to a diverse array of endemic species, particularly plants, insects and marine life. These species are facing an increasing amount of pressure, including introduced pests, a changing climate, natural disasters, pollution, habitat loss and environmental degradation.

Interconnecting research projects

BiodiversityNZ explores how New Zealand can use research and public policy to protect native species and their habitats, with the goal of becoming a world leader in conservation and biodiversity protection. This project therefore aligns and sometimes overlaps with the Institute’s OneOceanNZ and ClimateChangeNZ research projects.

More detail

Ecological corridors in New Zealand (2018–2025)
One important part of BiodiversityNZ is our proposal for ecological corridors to connect national parks and protected areas across the country. Ecological corridors (also called wildlife or conservation corridors) are designed to allow species to move between protected areas. Successfully developing corridors not only improves biodiversity, but will also increase the amount of forest cover in New Zealand, creating carbon sinks to mitigate our carbon emissions, and purifying the air we breathe.

These corridors are not a new idea and have been successfully implemented internationally, particularly in Bhutan. The Institute first started investigating this idea in 2018, and in 2023, two team members from the Institute were fortunate to visit Bhutan and meet officials to observe how they have implemented corridors across the country. The Institute is hoping to publish Discussion Paper 2025/05: A Proposal to Establish Ecological Corridors Between National Parks in early 2026.