“as the story goes, the kauri tree separates the sky from the earth and holds the sky up, while still letting sunlight in. and if you’ve seen a big kauri tree, you would understand why the maori people had this belief,” explained tony dunn, a senior guide for 13 years for a new zealand tour company called bush and beach. along with tours, he conducts and oversees pest control work and is deeply involved with kauri tree protection.

unfortunately, a deadly pathogen (phytophthora agathidicida) informally known as kauri dieback threatens kauri trees. the disease is a water mold that takes up in the roots and attacks the bark of the tree, which suffocates and kills it. it is spread through the soil, so the movement of people, animals, and water all spread the pathogen. kauri dieback’s ability to spread easily and unbeknownst to the spreader makes it a dangerous disease for the tree. a leisurely walk in the woods might result in mud on one’s shoes, which can then spread the disease during future outings. the same can be said with animals in the parks.

implementing strict and diligent protections

the new zealand department of conservation works hard to limit the spread of kauri dieback. some of the initiatives include quarantining areas where the disease is prevalent, installing raised boardwalks around kauri trees to prevent pedestrian traffic on the soil, and adding cleaning stations at the entrance and exits of many forest trails. dunn believes these actions are working.

“a lot of the work now is monitoring. we did an initial survey to see what trees had the disease, but now we need to go back and see how it’s spread,” said dunn. his initial observations indicate that the spreading has slowed down, which is a positive sign.

another effort aimed at protecting critically vital species, as well as agriculture, is airport biosecurity. australian and new zealand airports have strict biosecurity checks to make sure that no potentially harmful diseases or non-native species were unknowingly brought into the country. these checks included a ban on fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, grains, and many other foods, as well as inspecting any shoes that may have remnants of soil on them.

it is not currently known how or when kauri dieback entered new zealand. “our kauris are the only ones that are affected by the disease,” stated dunn. “it may have come into new zealand from another country where the disease is dormant, and it only became active due to the specific climatic conditions of new zealand. that links back to the airport biosecurity, because it is possible that someone brought in the disease from dirt on their shoes.”

applying new zealand’s successes globally

all of these actions to limit the spread of a disease not native to new zealand begs the question of why most other countries lack the extensive measures that australia and new zealand enforce so diligently. tree diseases plague the united states and other countries as well, yet shoe cleaning stations for hikes are rare, and usually include just a brush, while biosecurity checks at airports are largely nonexistent. 

dunn suggested that the added cost of biosecurity screening represents a barrier to their implementation globally. this process has been a part of new zealand’s airport infrastructure since the biosecurity act 1993, but it would take time and money for other countries to implement it. when asked why he thought new zealand might be uniquely positioned to tackle the cost of biodiversity, dunn posited the nation’s intense care for and appreciation of the environment.

“new zealanders and especially the maori people have a strong connection with nature,” dunn said. “that connection leads to a sense of protection.”

rotorua canopy tours brands itself as a company heavily invested in ecotourism, which involves more socially conscious forms of tourism that protect the environment, benefit the local communities, and educate the tourists. ecotourism, when implemented properly, can provide enormous contributions to the environment and the surrounding community. the idea is to create a win-win-win situation: a company thrives, the environment and its inhabitants benefit, and tourists enjoy an informative and thrilling activity.

a proactive approach 

while ecotourism sounds like a creative solution, it is not a complete panacea. tourist activities, even if well intentioned, attract more visitors to an area which puts many of these natural wonders under more stress. this increased foot traffic can harm the wildlife directly or even indirectly, through the introduction of invasive species or the altering of animal behavior. furthermore, when ecotourism is not carried out properly, it can undermine the lives of locals and extensively damage the environment.

rotorua canopy tours has spent over $250,000 nzd (new zealand dollars) on sustainability measures in an effort be the best in the ecotourism industry. they’ve devoted much of their workforce to conserving the forest in which it operates by trapping possums, rats, and stoats. while it may sound counterintuitive for conservation to involve trapping, this work is vital to protecting the forest. all three of these species are invasive to the area, have no predators, and also prey on the native bird populations, decimating their numbers and degrading the entire ecosystem.

the company’s approximately 750 traps have culled tens of thousands of pests and restored 280 hectares of forest since trapping started in 2013. harry haywood, a senior zip line tour guide for the company, has been working in the tourism and conservation industry for nearly 10 years. he said, “when we started in 2012, we had about 98% saturation of pests in the forest. nowadays, the possums are around 0.8% saturation. last i checked, the rats are around 20-22%, but that’s up from around 12%, due to us being in a mast season.” a mast season is a cyclical period when trees drop more nuts and seeds than during a typical year.

evidently, the efforts of rotorua canopy tours provide enormous benefits to the dansey road scenic reserve, the forest that contains the zip line course and is owned by the new zealand department of conservation. the company’s founders strongly believe in rehabilitating the forest, and according to haywood, wrote it into their contract with the department of conservation. while this agreement helped the founders secure approval to build the zip line course, it also aligned perfectly with their values and mission.

this partnership benefits both sides, as the department of conservation allows rotorua canopy tours to operate in the forest in exchange for a lease payment and the trapping work. in fact, haywood explained that the company’s workforce and funding greatly exceeds the resources the department of conservation would have been able to allocate to this forest.

“for me it’s resetting the traps, rebaiting them, and documenting numbers and statistics,” haywood said of his role in the conservation efforts. “we also work with a local scientific group on various studies and discovered four new species to science, as well as assist in the reintroduction of certain native bird species.”

normalizing sustainable practices in ecotourism

at the end of the day, the goal of any business is to boost its profits as much as possible, which begs an important question: what responsibilities to the environment do ecotourism companies have?

many climate activists, business leaders, and philosophers have debated this very question. brian berkey and eric orts, professors at the university of pennsylvania’s wharton school, argue that businesses hold an ethical responsibility to forgo some profit opportunities in order to address the climate crisis because the world cannot sustain current business practices.

the good news is that it does seem intuitive for ecotourism businesses to conserve the places they operate. “it may not necessarily be [a business’] responsibility to look after the country, but they should want to protect the place they are in. if the glaciers are disappearing and the forests are destroyed, then ecotourism businesses won’t make any money either,” said haywood.

with profits inevitably at the heart of the issue, part of the impetus for companies to change may come from consumers’ choices about where their money goes. ecotourism remains a viable option for travelers seeking an adventure while minimizing their environmental footprint, but this depends on businesses implementing principles of ecotourism. 

at the end of the day, looking out for the environment remains the top priority. “the zip lines are a fun way to get from point a to point b, but you’re really there for the forest,” said haywood. “you may not realize it until you’re out there, but you’re there for the forest, and seeing it look the way it does partly because of our work feels good.”

audio story by joshua rosenstein

nestled in the eastern suburbs of sydney, australia, jesmond (jes) sammut lectures his students on topics in coastal resource management. sammut is an associate professor at the university of new south wales, and also leads the unsw aquaculture research group. aquaculture, which is the farming of aquatic organisms, is seldom discussed by most people around the world, yet it can lead to enormous benefits.

sammut’s research has taken him to vietnam and indonesia to study shrimp farming, india to train local veterinarian scientists, and the philippines for fish farming. yet, some of his most impactful work has occurred in papua new guinea, where he trained a research team that subsequently worked with the national fisheries authority of papua new guinea to improve tilapia production and fish farming practices.

according to sammut, the work conducted by his team and partner groups has led to drops in crime, tribal war, and antisocial behavior, while also boosting self-esteem, cooperation, and financial and food security. his experiences have also come with challenges and lessons learned.

this podcast intends to introduce you to jes sammut and the power of his aquaculture research in papua new guinea.

all around the globe, national parks highlight the beauty of the natural world. they also serve their communities in so many more ways, including conserving critical habitat and biodiversity, boosting economic returns through tourism, and aiding physical and mental health. these benefits are part of a legacy initiated by the united states and australia, the first two countries in the world to establish national parks. 

yet, one often overlooked function of national parks in both countries is their preservation of indigenous peoples’ culture and history through the maintenance of important sites. in this regard, america may still have more to learn from australia’s example.

first listed in 1879, australia’s royal national park is the second oldest national park in the world, behind yellowstone in the united states. royal sits only 32 km (about 20 miles) south of downtown sydney, and spans 37,313 acres. it includes coastal landscapes, grassy woodlands, and eucalypt forests, while also teeming with unique vegetation and fauna.

additionally, the park has a plethora of aboriginal sites that contain rock engravings, piles of once-consumed shellfish known as shell middens, and hunting tools, among other archeological finds. these artifacts not only tell culturally and historically significant stories, but also show gradual advances in technology and eating habits over time, which helps debunk the colonizer myth that the aboriginal way of life was unchanging over thousands of years. 

working hand-in-hand toward preservation

the new south wales (nsw) national parks and wildlife services (npws) works closely with local aboriginal groups to make sure the sacred sites are protected in a manner that respects aboriginal heritage. in royal national park specifically, a conservation and coastal engravings project aims to safeguard the jibbon headland aboriginal engravings. these engravings are some of the most intricate and clearly defined in the area, and they capture the local dharawal people’s deeply rooted connection to the land.

collaborating with the la perouse local aboriginal land council, the npws built a boardwalk and viewing platform to prevent foot traffic over the engravings, which had previously worn down the site. additionally, aboriginal guides, known as discovery rangers, take interested visitors on guided tours throughout royal national park to help explain the cultural significance of these sites. finally, npws maintains proper upkeep of signage and encroaching vegetation around various aboriginal sites within the park.

although royal national park is one of the most well-known, visited, and protected national parks in new south wales, the npws also conducts ongoing work in other national parks to preserve aboriginal heritage. first and foremost, the npws works alongside local aboriginal groups to manage the parks. these joint management programs ensure that aboriginal peoples advise on any proposed plans, choose which stories are told about important sites, and retain access to the parks for cultural activities.

in some cases, the government has given land ownership back to aboriginal peoples, such as with uluru-kata tjuta in 1985 and vast areas in the northern territory in 1976. another initiative includes the connecting to culture educational program. through this program, aboriginal youth living in urban areas travel to various sydney national parks and learn about aboriginal culture, identity, and practices from mentors in the area.

a royal model for others

likewise to australia, native american ties to land in united states national parks span back hundreds of generations. unfortunately, discussions of national parks in the united states tend to gloss over how that land was acquired, which neglects and erases the thousands of years of native american residence and the violence used by colonists when taking the land. similarly, native americans do not have special access to most parks for cultural practices, and only some national parks allow hunting, trapping, and plant harvesting if granted permission.

while other measures to acknowledge native american history have improved over the years, many of them still lag behind the standards set by australia. for example, renaming proposals and more inclusive signage are becoming more common in united states national parks, but many indigenous groups see these efforts as only the first steps toward meaningful change.

yet, stories told from the native american point of view are starting to rise in national prominence, which provides more accurate representations of our country’s history. in 2021, united states interior secretary deb haaland became the first native american to serve as a cabinet secretary. haaland has often cited her heritage as a member of the pueblo of laguna nation when discussing her motivations for working for the white house. she has already used her position to expand the sandy creek massacre national historic site which commemorates a historic massacre of native americans in colorado.

these actions are all quite promising for a country that has mistreated native americans throughout its history. while the united states remains behind australia in its protection and acknowledgment of indigenous peoples in national parks, the country is slowly recognizing the need to reshape the historical narrative, and national parks are a great place to start telling these stories.