Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity

A recent survey of user needs for tools to identify freshwater biota has helped to prioritise groups of aquatic plants and animals requiring future research. NIWA held meetings in Hamilton and Christchurch to determine the identification issues faced by a range of users, and to help define the content for a questionnaire.

There was a response rate of 28% from the 208 recipients of the questionnaire, mostly in statutory authorities, government departments, and Crown Research Institutes (CRIs).

Most respondents identified biodiversity conservation and/or management (37%) or ecosystem health (35%) as the primary issues that would be helped most if better identification guides were available. Rare species conservation, nuisance species spread, biosecurity incursions, and fisheries management were all identified by 12–16% of respondents as important issues that would be assisted.

A wide range of identification guide types is potentially available, but respondents frequently rated the complexity and accessibility of most existing keys, and the related issue of distinguishing important diagnostic features, as impediments to using them. Researchers (mostly in CRIs and universities) preferred quick-guides and conventional keys, in contrast to management workers who most strongly favoured pictorial guides, such as photo books and quick-guides, and preferred computer guides over conventional keys. Several features of computer guides were considered moderately to highly useful by both groups of respondents, including photos with hyperlinks to data, the ability to eliminate taxa without key traits, and being able to select by habitat type or region.

The review showed that a set of freshwater species identification guides appropriately targeting user needs is not currently available. Conventional taxonomic keys based around formal descriptions are fundamental to the development of all kinds of guides. Without this fundamental taxonomy, more popular forms of presentation are not possible. Based on an analysis of the current taxonomic knowledge and status of different types of freshwater biota identification guides, and considering user requirements for up-to-date and easily accessible information, a priority list of the freshwater taxa most urgently requiring improved identification guides was developed.

Work is now underway to develop quick-guides for adult and juvenile (whitebait) galaxiid fish, bullies, algae, aquatic plants (including pest species and threatened native species), and aquatic oligochaete (worm) genera. Examples of currently available quick-guides for several invertebrate groups can be found on the Tools and Resources pages of NIWA’s National Centre for Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity web site (www.niwa.co.nz/ncabb/tools). The new quick-guides will also be available from this site once they are completed later in the year.

This survey and subsequent development of priority identification guides have been funded through the Terrestrial and Freshwater Biodiversity Information System (TFBIS) Programme.

A copy of the full report on end-user identification guide needs is now available on the programme’s web site (www.biodiversity.govt.nz/pdfs/ID_guide_report.pdf)

Kevin Collier and Graham Fenwick [k.collier@niwa.co.nz]