A conservation success story for New Zealand's heaviest insect
The success of a large-scale recovery program for wētāpunga/Little Barrier giant wētā, New Zealand's heaviest insect, has been officially documented in the New Zealand Journal of Zoology.
The conservation success story of New Zealand's heaviest insect, the wētāpunga/Little Barrier giant wētā, has been documented in the New Zealand Journal of Zoology. Over 15 years, tens of thousands of wētāpunga were bred at Butterfly Creek and Auckland Zoo, leading to the translocation of 11,000 wētā to 10 new wild sites. This effort has improved the species' conservation status from Threatened—Nationally Endangered to Threatened—Nationally Increasing.
Dr. Chris Green, lead author and honorary research associate at the Department of Conservation, emphasizes the importance of sharing the scientific knowledge gained from this comprehensive case study of invertebrate conservation breeding, translocation, and species recovery. The program's success is attributed to the expertise, commitment, and collaboration of various organizations and individuals, including Ngāti Manuhiri, the kaitiaki of wētāpunga and mana whenua of Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island.
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