Habitat Tours

  • Our Tours
    • A Kiwi Tour for Kiwis
    • Nature and Kiwi Day/Night Tour Tawharanui
    • Auckland Day Tours Tawharanui or West Coast
    • Nature Day Tour Tawharanui
    • West Coast Tours
    • Auckland Private Tours
    • Bird Watching Tours Auckland
    • Habitat Tours virtual tour
  • Resources
    • About the Waitakere Ranges
    • About Tawharanui
    • Blog
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • ABOUT US
    • Sponsorship & Conservation
    • Company Overview
    • Testimonials
    • Terms And Conditions
  • Sustainability & Conservation
  • Contact / Book
  • Our Tours
    • A Kiwi Tour for Kiwis
    • Nature and Kiwi Day/Night Tour Tawharanui
    • Auckland Day Tours Tawharanui or West Coast
    • Nature Day Tour Tawharanui
    • West Coast Tours
    • Auckland Private Tours
    • Bird Watching Tours Auckland
    • Habitat Tours virtual tour
  • Resources
    • About the Waitakere Ranges
    • About Tawharanui
    • Blog
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • ABOUT US
    • Sponsorship & Conservation
    • Company Overview
    • Testimonials
    • Terms And Conditions
  • Sustainability & Conservation
  • Contact / Book

Habitat Tours Blog

What is kauri dieback and why is it important?

6/22/2015

0 Comments

 
What is kauri dieback and why is it important?

As one of the largest trees in the world, the kauri is a point of pride for New Zealand. It is wrapped up in Maori legend, and is a popular Auckland tourist attraction – as well as one for locals.

Sadly, however, the kauri tree is plagued by a disease that has killed thousands of these forest giants in the last decade.

What is kauri dieback?

Scientists and conservationists spent a long time trying to understand the cause behind the death of so many kauri trees. In 2008, phytophthora taxon Agathis (or PTA) was formally identified.

PTA is specific to kauri trees alone, and it can affect a tree of any age.

Researchers are still working to understand the phenomena now known as kauri dieback, but for now it is known that an infected tree will almost certainly be killed, and that the spores enter the tree through the soil and roots, interrupting the flow of nutrients to the kauri.

Infected trees may lose their leaves, have thin canopies, show yellowing in the foliage or bleed gum at the base of the trunk, according to informative website kauridieback.

How can we avoid kauri dieback?

At this stage, there is no known treatment for the disease, but there are many things we can do on nature tours to help prevent the spread of kauri dieback.

While on a day tour to Tawharanui, we stop to show you one of these beautiful kauri trees. First, you will notice that there is a large boardwalk around the base of the tree. This is a measure that’s put in place around New Zealand to help protect the roots from becoming infected from spores on our shoes.

Staying off kauri roots, and on the walking tracks is a start, but during any eco tour around New Zealand you will notice small spray stations at the start and finish of any track. Here, you must spray and scrub your shoes with the tools provided to further help prevent the spread of the PTA disease.

Research into the matter continues, both with government pledges such as a $26.5 million fund set aside in 2014, as well as private donations from conservationists.

Picture
Kauri forest, Waitakere ranges
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Tristan Cullen - Passionate Conservationist

    Categories

    All
    Auckland Tourist Attractions
    Bird Sounds
    Geocahes Auckland
    Insiders Guide
    New Zealand Flora
    Tawharanui Views

    Archives

    October 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
Follow Us
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Contact Us
​

International Calls: +64 21 422 707 
Email us on info@habitattours.co.nz  

Auckland Day Tours
Nature & Kiwi - Day/Night - Tawharanui
Auckland Full Day Tour - Tawharanui
Auckland Half Day Tour - Waitakere Ranges
Auckland Full Day Tour - Waitakere Ranges
Translate Site
Picture
© Habitat Tours Ltd  |  All Rights Reserved  |  Design by PublicEye Creative