Never forget the Chatham Island Forget-me-not

Tomorrow I fly to the Chatham Islands, a remote archipelago, 800km due east of NZ. They are a wild and wonderful place. With approximately 700 inhabitants the islands seem somewhat deserted. And yet with the wild landscapes, huge sea cliffs, basalt columns, massive dunes and the endemic plant life there is plenty to discover there.

I am going for a week to assist with a programme to protect and conserve the threatened and unique components of the Chatham Island indigenous plant communities. I will be working of species such as the Chatham Island forget-me-not (Myosotidium hortensia) - see photo to the right - and other species not found anywhere else in the world. There are approximately 45 endemic plants on the Chathams including the Chatham toetoe (Cortaderia turbaria), the remarkable yellow flowered Chatham Island Christmas tree (Brachyglottis huntii) and several undescribed species of Cook's scurvy grass (Lepidium oleraceum).

There are many reasons why the Chatham plant life is under threat. Animal pests such as pig and possum browse the plants. Exotic weeds (such as Chilean rhubarb and veldt grass) compete for habitat with the natives. Then of course there is habitat destruction that changes indigenous landscapes into farmland for sheep or cattle. Add climate change to the mix and you end up requiring a plant conservation programme to assist with safeguarding these special species.

Whatever the case, there is huge interest on the Chathams amongst its population to conserve the unique landscape and species. In fact, the Chathams have more protective covenants on private land per capita than anywhere else in NZ. This is one indicator of the love the Chatham Islanders have for their environment. Chatham Island plants are loved by gardeners nationwide whether it be the Astelia chathamica or Olearia traversii that grow in many peoples gardens or the forget-me-not that fills a border with deep blue flowers in summer.

I look forward to providing an update of my trip on my return.