Ecosystems of the Southern Pacific: The New Zealand Project

Join us this spring as we explore the isolated and captivating islands of New Zealand. Traveling through remote areas to investigate the remarkable wildlands found in this unique land, we will embark upon a firsthand exploration of New Zealand's globally distinctive terrestrial and marine ecosystems, ancient plant and animal species, and intertwined human and natural histories.

New Zealand provides an excellent setting for an interdisciplinary field studies such as ours by harboring a remarkably rich diversity of environments. Formed 80 million years ago as an isolated fragment of the ancient supercontinent Gondwanaland, New Zealand hosts plant and animal species that have evolved over millennia of isolation. Here, in a relatively compact area, sub-tropical rainforests give way to steaming volcanoes, majestic alp-like peaks, and miles of wild coastal beaches open to the South Pacific and Tasman Sea. The New Zealanders themselves are also a diverse lot. With a rare mix of English, Scottish and Polynesian cultural backgrounds, they have a dynamic relationship with the resources and wild inhabitants of the New Zealand isles. In a rich variety of ecosystems, we will have the opportunity to examine firsthand how this relationship affects delicate ecological balances and the management of island natural resources.  

Our journey is a timely one as well, in that these isolated South Pacific Islands are presently facing a new era of growth and change. In New Zealand, the environment is emerging as a symbol of vulnerability much as it has in the United States, and no culture experiences the limits and possibilities of its environment more intensely than an island nation. Today, against a background of new concerns, New Zealanders are taking a hard look at their social, political, economic and environmental priorities.

THE PROJECT

Our project affords us a rare opportunity for hands-on field studies in New Zealand. Team members will examine island ecology through firsthand investigations of the region's flora, fauna and geography. Together we will participate directly in key wildlife and marine species conservation research projects, investigate on-site natural resource management policies and options, and work with local conservation organizations on forest ecosystem restoration.   During the program, special attention will be paid to a firsthand exploration of the history and current state of the dynamic interactions that exist between New Zealanders and their environment. Together we will assess what the early Polynesians found when they reached New Zealand and what has happened since. In a variety of settings we will discover how ties between human culture and the natural landscape manifest and how cultural conflicts and cooperation among European and Polynesian New Zealanders have developed over time.

Throughout our field explorations, we will gain hands-on research experience as we examine conservation issues, land use practices, and management policies that influence New Zealand's future in an era of growth and development. By the end of the program, each of us will have gained a new understanding of the diversity of cultures and environments in New Zealand and a firsthand knowledge of fascinating South Pacific wildlands and wildlife. In-country Fee: $1850.

Read the full course description:

PROGRAM LEADERS

ADAM DILLON is an ecologist who has worked on a wide variety of projects throughout North and Central America. His main focus is wildlife ecology and conservation with an emphasis on mammalian carnivores.