Norfolk Island expedition: Understanding a South Pacific jewel

Australian Museum - Explore Magazine

Published 19 January 2023

Located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia is Norfolk Island, a small island with a big history and unique biodiversity. Norfolk Island was chosen by the Australian Museum for its 2022-2024 expedition – the first phase of which has just been completed.

The word “expedition” evokes many images – from famous explorers of the Antarctic to Indiana Jones.

Scientists and popular culture have long been fascinated by the idea of discovery. Expeditions are at the heart of what natural history museums are all about.

Expeditions are an opportunity to collect specimens, describe new species and study the incredible biodiversity of this planet – expeditions provide us with a snapshot in time of how our biodiversity is tracking, and how we can conserve it. Key to the success of expeditions is community support, knowledge, and engagement – community know their own backyard best, and their support amplifies the outcomes from scientific surveys.

In October and November 2022, Australian Museum scientists, in collaboration with the Norfolk Island community, Parks Australia, the Australian Institute of Botanical Science and the Auckland War Memorial Museum, completed Phase One of the Norfolk Island expedition. Our scientists conducted terrestrial biodiversity surveys of both native and introduced flora and fauna which involved teams from mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, entomology and arachnology alongside botanists, and an archaeological team. The aim of the three-year expedition is to better understand the existing and evolving ecological landscape of the island, study its more remote biodiversity and help inform future management plans for the animals and plants that call it home.

Read the full article here : https://australian.museum/blog-archive/explore/norfolk-island-expedition/