newzealand

This volume is the third in the trilogy that provides a review and inventory of New Zealand’s entire living and fossil biodiversity – an international effort involving more than 220 New Zealand and overseas specialists and the most comprehensive of its kind in the world. Together, the three volumes list every one of the almost 55,000 known species of New Zealand’s animals, plants, fungi, and micro-organisms. These volumes are affiliated with Species 2000, an international scientific project with the long-term goal of enumerating all described species on Earth into one seamless list – the Catalogue of Life, a kind of online biological telephone directory. To date, only New Zealand has compiled a checklist of its entire living and fossil biota. Approximately 52% of this country’s species are endemic – found only in New Zealand’s freshwater, marine, and land environments. We have a responsibility to the global community to preserve this unique heritage or taonga. But further than that, all of our species – including many of the naturalised aliens included in the survey – are important to New Zealand’s economy, ecology and well-being.
Written for the advanced high-school and tertiary-level reader, these volumes are also intended to be a kind of ‘Cooks Tour’ of the kingdoms and phyla of life that will, it is hoped, provide an appreciation of the wondrous diversity of nature. Volume one [31469] and volume two [32943].

New Zealand is world famous for its natural environment: its changeable and unique landscape, its strange and wonderful flora and fauna. This book is both guidebook and celebration, a handbook outlining the most significant features of our wilderness and introducing the key species and where they can easily be observed and experienced. As the title suggests, the book is about easily accessible nature experiences: viewing areas and hides from which rare birds can be observed, short bush walks and even what can be seen directly from the car as the Kiwi or international tourist drives through this magnificent country of ours. It covers such highlights as dolphins in the Bay of Islands, godwits on the Thames Coast and near Christchurch, the flora and fauna of the Southern Alps, and penguins and seals in Otago. Fully illustrated with beautiful colour photographs, it can be enjoyed at home to plan a trip or taken on the road to entertain and inform.

At last a single field guide that covers New Zealand’s plants, birds, insects and animals for visitors and New Zealanders interested in this country’s natural history. When author Julian Fitter first visited New Zealand he was amazed at the number of field guides to birds, plants, insects, marine life and to specific locations – alpine, forest, seashore. But for the traveller not wanting to cart around a library-shelf of books there was no single volume that described the major and most interesting species covering all NZ’s flora and fauna. As author of a natural history field guide to the Galapagos, he set about compiling such a book for New Zealand. The result is a small format, full colour guidebook packed with information on all the species that either are most important, or most obvious to those touring the country covering birds, insects, reptiles, marine mammals, land mammals, trees and shrubs, vines and epiphytes, herbs, ferns, grasses, mosses and lichens as well as a brief survey of New Zealand’s varied habitats and fascinating geological history, including major geothermal areas. Over 600 species are described described in detail, with accompanying information on habitat and a full colour photograph and organised in such as way as to make identification as easy as possible.

This much anticipated revised and expanded edition describes the Chatham Islands, with particular emphasis on their geology, flora, fauna, habitats, and extinct and endangered species – both on the land and in the sea. It gives an introduction to the history of the islands and a guide to the many reserves and covenants that have been set up to protect and conserve the islands’ heritage. Profusely illustrated with an outstanding selection of colour photos, artwork and maps, as well as historical photographs.