9 8 7 ▁when ▁it ▁came ▁under ▁the ▁administration ▁of ▁the ▁newly ▁formed ▁Department ▁of ▁Conserv ation . ▁ ▁Scient ific ▁and ▁Conserv ation ▁value ▁▁ ▁Kop u ata i ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁only ▁three ▁sites ▁to ▁contain ▁the ▁plant ▁Sp or ad anth us ▁fer rug ine us ▁a ▁formally ▁w ides p read ▁but ▁now ▁rare ▁pe atform ing ▁plant ▁found ▁only ▁in ▁the ▁upper ▁north ▁island ▁of ▁New ▁Zealand . ▁S . ▁fer rug ine us ▁in ▁turn ▁provides ▁the ▁only ▁known ▁food ▁source ▁for ▁a ▁rare ▁en demic ▁moth ▁H oud in ia ▁flex il iss ima ▁known ▁as ▁' F red ▁the ▁thread ' ▁described ▁as ▁recently ▁as ▁ 2 0 0 6 ▁and ▁remarkable ▁for ▁being ▁the ▁th inn est ▁c ater p ill ar ▁in ▁the ▁world ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁other ▁und es cribed ▁insect ▁species ▁are ▁thought ▁to ▁inhab it ▁the ▁pe at ▁d ome . ▁Other ▁plant ▁species ▁found ▁at ▁Kop u ata i ▁are ▁the ▁pe at - form ing ▁plant ▁Emp od is ma ▁robust um ▁and ▁the ▁f ern ▁G leich enia ▁dic ar pa . ▁ ▁Kop u ata i ▁is ▁remarkable ▁for ▁being ▁an ▁exception ally ▁strong ▁sink ▁for ▁carbon ▁dio x ide ▁compared ▁to ▁other ▁b ogs ▁glob ally , ▁carbon ▁dio x ide ▁is ▁absor bed ▁from ▁the ▁atmosphere ▁by ▁the ▁pe at - form ing ▁plants ▁and ▁transformed ▁into ▁pe at ▁which ▁can ▁be ▁up ▁to ▁ 1 2 ▁meters ▁thick ▁in ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁bog