NIWA combines systematics and taxonomic expertise and resources to help meet the requirements of the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy and related international initiatives. Our biosecurity work ranges from identifying invasive marine species to managing aquatic weeds.
Marine biodiversity
- Taxonomic identifications and manuals on New Zealand, Australian, Pacific island and Antarctic marine organisms
- Coastal and oceanic habitat classification and inventory
- Seafloor surveys to identify species and map habitats; includes outfall areas, spoil dumping grounds, proposed pipelines and other installations
- Identification manuals of New Zealand and antarctic marine life
- Ancillary maritime and oceanographic information available, including charts and environmental data
- Benthic biodiversity surveys and databases
- Identifications for marine natural products research
- Fulfilling the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Freshwater biodiversity
- Taxonomic identifications and manuals on New Zealand, Australian, Pacific island and Antarctic freshwater organisms
- Taxonomic descriptions and identification workshops on New Zealand freshwater organisms
- Rapid biological assessment techniques for Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) and consent applications
- Databases on NZ flora and fauna: fish, invertebrates, aquatic plants
- Atlas of New Zealand Freshwater Fish
- Atlas of Aquatic Plants
- Restoration of aquatic vegetation
Biosecurity
- Survey of New Zealand ports to create a baseline inventory of marine pests for Ministry of Fisheries
- Identification of safe ballast-water discharge areas in coastal NZ
- Identification of hull-fouling or ballast-water organisms
- Identification of microalgae in algal blooms
- Identification service for aquatic weeds
- Aquatic weed risk assessment
- Aquatic weed management strategies (surveillance, control, eradication)
- Documentation of alien freshwater invertebrate, plant and fish distributions