How fire might fry an island wildlife sanctuary

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-09-15 03:00

New Zealand

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

New Zealand puts many of its endangered species on islands, but how vulnerable are these sites to being burnt down? That's the question asked by a Department of Conservation scientist who has mapped the fire risk of the Bay of Plenty's Moutohorā / Whale Island - home to six threatened plants, and three threatened animal species. The study found the largest possible blaze would incinerate 84% of the island, with fires in mānuka or kānuka trees the most widely destructive. The researcher says while fire has the potential to cover a large extent of the island across all seasons, conservation efforts are leading to more fire-resistant vegetation.