Applied Research

CAMPBELL ISLAND BICENTENNIAL EXPEDITION
Service Areas: Applied Research, Ecosystem Health Assessment, Aquatic Sample Processing, Information Design, Original Artwork

Home to globally unique plants and animals, and an integral part of New Zealand’s heritage, Campbell Island is to be the focus of a multidisciplinary research expedition planned for December 2010, of which EOS Ecology will be a key member.

The first project to be undertaken by the 50º South Trust, this expedition will also mark the 200th anniversary of the island’s discovery. Twelve researchers and their support team working across six different fields; from geomorphology, ecology, to cultural history; will document the recovery of the island’s ecosystem from the world’s largest island pest eradication programme (undertaken by DOC), and determine how this isolated island system functions. The two-month long expedition will bring years of scientific research together and provide recommendations for the Island’s future management.

As key members of the expedition team, EOS scientists will focus their efforts on studying the little-known freshwater streams, tarns, and seepages on the island. EOS Ecology is also responsible for coordinating the expedition and undertaking the information design for the funding campaign.

Visit the 50º South Trust website to find out more about the expedition and download the prospectus.

FRESHWATER MUSSEL POPULATION STUDY
Service Areas: Applied Research, Urban Ecology, Aquatic Sample Processing

Mounting concern over the decline of freshwater mussels (kakahi) led EOS Ecology to undertake a study of the mussel population in a partially urbanised stream in Christchurch.

This research project involved developing an appropriate quantitative sampling programme to cover the length of Cashmere Stream. With their threat classification being recently updated to “gradual decline”, EOS’s discovery of such large numbers of freshwater mussels in a partly urbanised stream is therefore of local, and possibly national, importance. The EOS team is now developing a survey plan for juvenile mussels to determine if the population is self-sustaining.