Can NZ society become environmentally sustainable if it is biologically illiterate?

Abstract

Reversing declines in biodiversity and building an environmentally sustainable society require public knowledge of natural history. The foundation of natural history knowledge includes identifying species and knowing which are indigenous to an area. Since 2003, I have surveyed these in over 1,600 first year students of Lincoln University's introductory ecology course. This course has been compulsory or recommended in several degrees and the students have represented a broad cross-section of the university. I began by asking which of a list of 36 common or iconic New Zealand species, including 12 plant species, are indigenous and which are naturalised. From 2010 I also asked students to name a selection of 20 common species, including four plants, from images (as well as a random selection of current All Blacks rugby players for comparison). The results make clear that most students coming out of the NZ school system know little about NZ natural history, especially about the common species that live near them. For example, while almost all domestic students knew that kiwi are indigenous, only 45% knew that macrocarpa is exotic, 69% knew that kiwifruit are exotic, and 50% knew that mountain beech is indigenous. Only 66% could name flax from a photo. 71% could name kowhai (the national flower). Students' broad ignorance of nature changed little over the course of the survey. These results suggest that a combination of the NZ schooling system and wider society are failing to educate students in the essentials of NZ natural history required if NZ is to achieve sustainable stewardship of its biodiversity.