Kermadec Biodiversity 2011 Expedition On Its Way
A major investigation of the Kermadec Islands is now underway. The expedition titled Kermadec Biodiversity 2011 and lead by Auckland Museum Curator of Marine Vertebrates Dr Tom Trnski seeks to document for the first time ever the marine life of the Kermadec Island group. The islands are located roughly halfway between New Zealand and Tonga, and represent the northern most extension of geopolitical New Zealand. The islands, all volcanic, owe their origin to ongoing subduction between the Pacific and Indo-Australian Plate.
Two of the islands, Raoul and Curtis are active volcanoes and all of the islands are frequently rocked by earthquakes. The expedition members include 10 scientists from New Zealand and Australia (11 marine biologists, one botanist and one invertebrate scientist), a science journalist and film maker. It is hoped to make landings on all the islands, islets and rock stacks in the group, some of which have not been explored by biologists since the late 1960s. Expedition botanist Dr Peter J. de Lange will be specialising in lichens, bryophytes and seaweeds, as well as looking for new vascular plant records from the islands including a new species of Lepidium he is in the process of formally describing. Department of Conservation Invertebrate Scientist Dr Warren Chinn will be collecting invertebrates from all of the islands - many of which have never been explored before for invertebrates. Other team members will be investigating sharks, black spotted grouper populations, fish communities, and marine invertebrates.
The expedition can be followed on a special website where the public can check in on the team daily, ask them questions and find out what progress has been made during each days survey. The information gained will be of tremendous benefit to the Department of Conservation who are seeking to have the islands declared a World Heritage site. Follow this link to the website:
Posted: 05/05/2011