Kiwi genetics hurdle seen
We lack knowledge needed to save NZ icon, say boffins
Scientists still don’t know enough about the genetics of New Zealand’s national icon to help protect it in the long term, a new review has found. In a just-published study, Massey University researcher Malin Undin and colleagues canvassed more than 30 years of research into kiwi genetics.
This work has shown how kiwi differ genetically between areas, but there has been little understanding of how much they’ve adapted to different environments — or how much the birds inbreed.
As at the most recent estimate, there were fewer than 70,000 — a fraction of the 12 million that once roamed in our prehistoric wilderness.
Through efforts such as Operation Nest Egg and the Kiwi Recovery plan, the Department of Conservation (DoC) and groups including Kiwis for Kiwi battle to reverse an annual 2 per cent loss rate.
Massey wildlife biologist Associate Professor Isabel Castro, a co-author of the new study, saw kiwi conservation as reliant on two basic things.
One was knowing enough about a managed species to properly direct conservation efforts, and the other was maintaining a healthy genetic and behavioural diversity within them.
DoC’s recovery plan, which aimed to grow the kiwi population to 100,000 this decade, stated scientists now had the genetic knowledge and management tools to ensure kiwi were being given the “highest chance” of long-term success.
Yet it flagged several issues. The results of genetic research weren’t always publicly available or incorporated into management, and there was confusion about how to manage “hybrid” birds, or those suspected to have problematic genes.
It also pointed out a need to boost research on non-invasive genetic techniques and genomic approaches for kiwi conservation, and to learn what the right groups were to retain remaining genetic diversity.
Assessing 40 studies to date, the Massey researchers concluded our understanding wasn’t enough to guide genetic management, manage diversity, or even lock in the species’ future sustainability.
“We appreciate . . . that the studies conducted to date provide a foundation to advance understanding of this iconic genus in New Zealand,” Castro said. “However, our main conclusion is that current knowledge of kiwi genetics is still insufficient to inform conservation decisions and develop robust management plans for long-term sustainable and diverse kiwi populations.”
Castro said a “serious deficiency” was that scientists still didn’t understand the nature and extent of the genetic differences observed.
Kiwi were being managed through a mix of pest control in the wild and translocating adults, juveniles or eggs to predator-free refuges.
In planning successful translocations, detailed information about genetic and epigenetic variations was key.
“Decision-making in the absence of this information risks leading to management strategies that are insufficient — or even harmful — for future population sustainability,” she said.