Warwick Allen1, John Dymond2, Ben Jolly2, James McCarthy2, Andrew McMillan2, Sarah Richardson2, James Shepherd2, Rowan Sprague2, Anne Sutherland2, Annabel Beattie3, Nikki McArthur4
- Researcher, Plant Community Ecology. Bioeconomy Science Institute (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Group)
- Bioeconomy Science Institute (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Group)
- Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
- Independent Ecologist
In mid-February 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle struck the North Island of New Zealand causing widespread destruction. As part of the cyclone response, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research partnered with NIWA, mana whenua, regional councils, and other stakeholders to assess the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on native ecosystems, from forests and wetlands to rivers and coastal dunes. We used a range of approaches to assess the cyclone’s ecological impacts, including remote sensing, spatial data intersection, permanent forest plots, long-term monitoring datasets, environmental DNA (eDNA), and interviews with land managers. This talk will summarise our key findings and present some recommendations to help mitigate the impacts of future extreme weather events on ecosystems.
Two reports have been published as part of this work:
- Allen et al. (2024) Ecological impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle (https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/assets/researchpubs/Cyclone_Gabrielle_Integrated_ecological_assessment_Full_report.pdf)
- McMillan et al. (2023) Rapid assessment of land damage – Cyclone Gabrielle.(https://environment.govt.nz/assets/Rapid-assessment-of-land-damage-Cyclone-Gabrielle-Manaaki-Whenua-Landcare-Research-report.pdf)
We wish to thank the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) for funding this research under the Extreme Weather Research Platform. We are also grateful to the following organisations for their support: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Auckland Council, Northland Regional Council, Horizons Regional Council, Gisborne District Council, Department of Conservation, QEII National Trust, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Rongowhakaata Iwi Trust, Whareponga, and ecosanctuaries throughout the North Island.