One example is what looks like barren wasteland alongside Chapman Rd, in Earnscleugh.
Despite being almost as far from the sea as possible in New Zealand, the area is a sea-salt pan teeming with small, rare plants and a myriad of native invertebrates including native bees, trapdoor spiders and native moths.
Next week, University of Otago geology department lecturer Sophie Briggs will unravel the mystery of the jeopardised inland saline ecosystems, which have been classified as threatened – nationally critical, the highest threat level in New Zealand.
Dr Briggs said while efforts to protect and enhance the unique ecosystems had increased, more work was needed to raise awareness.
Insights from Project Salt, a citizen science initiative involving schools, Otago University, New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, Enviroschools, the Department of Conservation and Otago Regional Council, would be shared at the first of this year’s Central Otago Heritage talks.
Most information about Central Otago salt pans was revealed by Otago University geology department researchers Cathy Rufaut, Dave Craw and Dhana Pillai.
Dr Briggs’ talk on February 26 would summarise that work, exploring what happened when geology, climate, and oceans intertwined as well as highlighting the surprising role historic gold mining played in the extraordinary geo-ecological story.
"When I learned about where the salt at Chapman Road came from, and how it got there, it blew my mind. I thought ‘what an amazing story, people should know about this!’ That’s how Project Salt came about. This one site offers so many opportunities for learning about the connections between Earth’s systems, human impacts, and the role we play in conservation. It’s all here, if you know what to look for," Dr Briggs said.
The following morning’s guided tour of the Chapman Road scientific reserve was fully booked.
Book for the talk at www.heritagecentralotago.org.nz/events
— APL
