New Zealand was originally part of the ancient southern super continent, Gondwana, which consisted of the major continents that are now Australia, South Africa, South America, India and Antarctica. Until Jurassic times, it lay beneath a shallow sea, dotted with volcanic islands.
The environment of New Zealand is characterised by an endemic flora and fauna which has evolved in near isolation from the rest of the world. The main islands of New Zealand span two biomes, temperate and subtropical ,complicated by large mountainous areas above the tree line.
For reasons that are not apparent, New Zealand was not inhabited by many mammals. Instead, our fauna became dominated by birds and insects. Birds became the predators, the scavengers, the herbivores and the insectivores. They lived everywhere from the highest mountains to the sea. With few predators, many lost the ability to fly and became ground dwellers. Insects evolved to extremes of big and small and occupied a range of habitats.
New Zealand’s biodiversity makes a significant contribution to overall global diversity with an estimated 80,000 endemic species. New Zealand is an internationally recognised world ‘hotspot’ for biodiversity. This high endemism is largely the result of our long isolation from other land masses and diverse geography and climate, allowing unique flora and fauna to develop.
The environment of New Zealand is characterised by an endemic flora and fauna which has evolved in near isolation from the rest of the world. The main islands of New Zealand span two biomes, temperate and subtropical ,complicated by large mountainous areas above the tree line.
For reasons that are not apparent, New Zealand was not inhabited by many mammals. Instead, our fauna became dominated by birds and insects. Birds became the predators, the scavengers, the herbivores and the insectivores. They lived everywhere from the highest mountains to the sea. With few predators, many lost the ability to fly and became ground dwellers. Insects evolved to extremes of big and small and occupied a range of habitats.
New Zealand’s biodiversity makes a significant contribution to overall global diversity with an estimated 80,000 endemic species. New Zealand is an internationally recognised world ‘hotspot’ for biodiversity. This high endemism is largely the result of our long isolation from other land masses and diverse geography and climate, allowing unique flora and fauna to develop.
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Reference Readings
| ancient_new_zealand.pdf |
| nzecosystems_complete.pdf |
| 06-endangered-extinct-species.pdf |
| 18-maori-perspectives.pdf |