December 21, 2016
Kauri dieback project wins challenge funds
An iwi-backed project which aims to use citizen science to tackle kauri dieback disease is one of only six successful applicants to the Government's Biological Heritage National Science Challenge out of the 11 who applied.
The Kauri Rescue Tiaki mo Kauri project will recruit private landowners to work alongside scientists to treat their own trees with called phosphite which has shown great promise in scientific trials.
The chemical helps kauri fight the Phytophthora agathidicida pathogen that causes the disease.
Project leader Dr Ian Horner of Plant & Food Research says landowners will be encouraged to test other treatment techniques, including matauranga Maori methods.
The project will monitor results and collect data on all treatments so that their efficacy can be determined.
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