The Rhythm of the Sea
New Zealand has the fourth largest marine environment in the world and, at more than 4 million square kilometres, our total marine area is around 14 times larger than our land area.
According to WWF-New Zealand, as much as 80 percent of New Zealand’s plant and animal species occur in the marine environment and 44 percent are not found anywhere else in the world.
Waterfront is encouraged by initiatives being spearheaded throughout the country by teams of volunteers to ensure New Zealand has a resilient and thriving marine environment.
There’s a groundswell in “citizen science” – scientific projects set up in a way that lay persons can participate and contribute relevant data or observations. This is becoming an increasingly important tool in environmental monitoring and for getting public engagement in conservation.
Come with us and explore: the kelp beds around Wellington’s harbour and coast are the focus of the Project Baseline Wellington team, the South Taranaki Reef Life Project is discovering what lies beneath the surface in their marine backyard, and an Auckland University researcher unveils the Hauraki Gulf underwater marine orchestra.
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