into the takahē and the Eyles's harrier. Once these specialised birds declined and (in the case of the harrier) became extinct, their niches were available and colonisation could occur again. Management The New Zealand government, through the Department of Conservation, works aggressively to protect what remains of New Zealand's biological heritage. It has pioneered work on island restoration where offshore islands are systematically cleared of introduced species such as goats, feral cats and rats. This then allows the re-introduction of native species that can hopefully flourish in the absence of non-native predators and competitors. The longest running project of this type is on Cuvier Island, but other islands are also being used such as Tiritiri Matangi and Mangere Island. Establishment of conservation areas is not restricted to islands however and several ecological islands have been established on the New Zealand mainland which are isolated by the use of pest-exclusion fences. State of biodiversity 2020 See also List of extinct animals of New Zealand Landcare Research has biodiversity as one of its major research areas. New Zealand dinosaurs List of ecoregions of New Zealand References Further reading Parsons, S. et al. (2006). Biology Aotearoa : unique flora, fauna and fungi. Auckland: Pearson Education New Zealand 126 p. Bishop, N. (1992). Natural history of New Zealand. Auckland: Hodder & Stoughton 199 p. Volume 1 , Volume 2 , Volume 3 Journal articles Worthy TH, Tennyson AJ, Archer M, Musser AM, Hand SJ, Jones C, Douglas BJ, McNamara JA, Beck RM (2006). "Miocene mammal reveals a Mesozoic ghost lineage on insular New Zealand, southwest Pacific." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103; 19419-23 External links New Zealand Biodiversity – Government web site. National Aquatic Biodiversity Information System New Zealand Species- Significant collection of high resolution images. Free for non-profit school use. Biodiversity and Conservation at Landcare Research New Zealand Plant Conservation Network website for information about the indigenous flora and species of introduced weed and animal pests Biota of New Zealand Environment of New Zealand Biota of archipelagoes