Newsletter #109 & Braided Rivers Conference 2026 programme

Scimex:  What NZ experts want from global meeting on migratory animals – Expert Reaction

Nature: Why I made a river my co-author “Anne Poelina gives first authorship to a source with deep knowledge about water [in Australia]— the river itself… posing a profound challenge to Western and colonial views of what knowledge is and who holds it.”

Climate Connections: A powerhouse El Niño event appears to be brewing for 2026-27 Good explainer, and while it focuses on the impact the the U.S., here in Aotearoa it can mean drought, increasing the demand for irrigation and the flow of foothill-fed braided rivers such as the Ashley Rakahuri to decline, even dry up.

RNZ: ‘Sobering reading’: Waterways worsening around the country, report reveals “Pressures from land use, contamination, water abstraction and climate change are altering the quality and movement of water across rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquifers.”

RNZ: Conservationists alarmed by new report into New Zealand’s freshwater “Among other indicators painting a worrying picture the report said glaciers, which acted as major freshwater reservoirs for rivers and groundwater, were rapidly retreating – decreasing 42 percent between 2005 and 2023. Invasive species were having a direct impact on native ecosystems and even hydroelectric power generation. Wetlands continued to be lost or degraded, despite only 10 percent of historical wetland areas remaining.”

The Press: Canterbury could end up with 12,400 more cows as dairy profits are prioritised over the nitrate emergency

Mongabay: Seabird nests built with plastic waste off the coast of Germany. Summary of several studies including this: “…plastic was found in 32% of herring gull (Larus argentatus) nests, 53% of great black-backed gull (Larus marinus) nests and 80% of European shag (Gulosus aristotelis) nests.”

Mongabay: How saving birds protects the planet: Interview with author Scott Weidensaul, best selling author of “The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet” Note: the title refers to the the American oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus.

Mongabay: Once lost, now found: Five “missing” bird species rediscovered in 2025, offering hopeAll of the “found” birds are endemic to islands in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The Conversation:  A high‑risk bird flu strain is circling the globe. How prepared is NZ?