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Landcare's Offer and Suggestion

Author
 Matthew Carter

Prior Publication
 The Bush Telegraph

A possible solution to the Bush Society's needs for more Web space has come from Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research, in an offer to host the Society's Web site. Sponsorship of the Web site by a commercial organisation would be continuing a tradition, since Cyberplace which has hosted the Web site up to now is sponsored by Plain Communications Ltd. But where Plain Communications' business is providing internet services, Landcare's business is in part ecological research - perhaps close enough to the focus of the Society's focus to lead to a future conflict of interest, or embarrassment of members, if the Society takes up the offer. The offer is generous in its terms as you can see below. We would be interested to get members' thoughts.
At the same time, Landcare has suggested working with the Bush Society to develop a database of ecological data on restoration projects. Staff at Landcare believe this would lead to useful information for planning, planting and managing restoration projects. The Society has no precedent for joint development of a resource like this, and it would involve members collecting data on their own projects, so even more than for the Web hosting offer, we would like to know members' views. Fuller details of the suggestion are given below.

Web site hosting
Main points of offer of free Web site hosting are:

  • The hosting by Landcare would not be apparent to users:
    • The site would use the Society's new bush.org.nz domain name
    • Landcare would not need to have a presence on the site
  • There would be space to meet the Bush Society's needs, including:
    • Ample space for the Bush Society's existing on-line resources
    • Space for new resources and to add graphics to existing resources
    • Space for the Bush Society's databases, if we choose to link them directly to the Web site.

Restoration database
Main points of the Restoration Database suggestion are:

  • The database would be a joint development of Landcare and the Bush Society containing ecological data on restoration projects.
  • It would cover community-based and other restoration projects (for example Council and DoC projects) to get a very wide coverage.
  • Bush Society members would be asked to collect data on their own projects in a simple, consistent format yet to be decided on.
  • Landcare would develop ways to analyse the data and would provide summaries useful both for the people who provided the data and others.
  • The Bush Society would act on behalf of members over public access to data members had provided.
  • The database would have its own Web site under a domain name owned by the Bush Society.

More about Landcare
Members know at least a little about Landcare through the regular inserts the Bush Telegraph carries from Manaaki Whenua Press, but many members may not know much more.
Landcare (or Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research Ltd., in full) is an independent Crown Research Institute with nine locations round New Zealand and close to 400 staff. Its principal business (according to its Web site) is "investigating and improving strategies for sustainable management of land-based resources." This includes management for conservation and for primary production.
The main impression from a visit to its Web site ( http://www.landcare.cri.nz ) is of a great diversity of interests and activities: research areas ranging from soil science and biodiversity to products for pest control, with a lot between; management of databases (relating to soils, land resources, vegetation, plant diseases, and invertebrates); ownership of a subsidiary that supplies wildlife tracking equipment; and publication of scientific books through Manaaki Whenua Press, among other things.
Its claim to be committed to working in partnership with others is more than token: it lists 25 Research Associates, "independent scientists who are pursuing their own research with support and resource assistance from Manaaki Whenua". It also lists four organisations it provides Web hosting for:

  • Eco-link
  • The New Zealand Landcare Trust
  • New Zealand Hydrological Society
  • The Electronic Landlink - Landcare Groups in NZ

Keywords
 Landcare Research  NZERN  web hosting 

Updated 20/11/2008 4.08AM by PIPI4