Motukawanui Island, in the Cavallis, off Northland's east coast, is among 107 islands globally that offer the best chance to save some of the world's most threatened species.
A Northland island has been named among 107 islands globally that offer the best chance to save some of the world's most threatened species.
In a major international collaboration, scientists, researchers and conservationists have drawn up a list of 107 islands that offer the best chance to save some of
the world's most threatened species. New Zealand has five islands on the list, including Motukawanui Island, in the Cavallis, off Northland's east coast.
Motukawanui Island is the largest of the Cavalli Islands, and is located about 4km northeast of Matauri Bay. The island has an area of 3.4sq km and is free from possums, mustelids and cats, and home to a flourishing population of native birds.
Forty institutions, including universities and major conservation organisations such as Birdlife International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), contributed to the assessment of islands which range from the Galapagos Archipelago to Great Barrier in the Hauraki Gulf. It is published in the journal PLOS One.
"We already know islands are a vital conservation opportunity but this study gives us the bigger picture, a list of locations where the most progress could be made," Associate Professor James Russell, from the University of Auckland, who contributed to the research, said.
