Petipeti / crown fern (Lomaria discolor) - Mount Aspiring National Park
Aotearoa New Zealand’s indigenous (native) biodiversity and ecosystems are highly unique.
Our biodiversity refers to the variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial (land), marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part.
In Aotearoa New Zealand most of our native species and some of our ecosystems exist nowhere else on Earth.
Otago is one of the regions in Aotearoa New Zealand with the highest variability of native biodiversity and ecosystems.
We are a large region with diverse environments, ranging from the alpine lakes in the West to Central Otago’s drylands, and the coastal forests and dunelands of the East.
Our region is also internationally renowned for our native species (animals, plants and fungi), some only found here.
Our indigenous species and their habitats are a taoka (treasured possessions).
We have compiled a list of species found only in Otago.
We have published threat assessments on several group of species in Otago, including bats, birds, indigenous vascular plants and reptiles. You can read them all on our regional threat assessment page, with more to come.
We have published species lists for many of the native species found in Otago.
Our Biodiversity Strategy outlines what we collectively want to achieve for biodiversity in Otago, and our Action Plan how we will achieve biodiversity outcomes.
We have developed a range of resources on indigenous biodiversity in Otago, including regional threat assessment reports, educational factsheets and posters about species, and an online native planting guide to inform ecological restoration efforts.
