Near the Tuku Nature Reserve, Chatham Island, New Zealand Photograph by Matti Pellinen   Chatham Island, east of New Zealand Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests   300 square miles (800 square kilometers) -- about one-third the size of Rhode Island Critical/Endangered

· Cloudy, Remote Islands
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Cloudy, Remote Islands

The isolated Chatham Islands lie in the South Pacific Ocean, 480 miles (600 km) to the east of Christchurch, New Zealand. Powerful, salt-laden winds buffet the island continuously, and sunlight is limited due to cloud cover. Still, the temperate climate and abundant rain foster a variety of vegetation types: coastal broadleaf forest; scrub and shrubland communities; and tall heath forest found farther inland, interspersed with bogs and moorlands. Chatham and Pitt Islands are the largest in this group of 40 islets and rock stacks.

Special Features

Almost 50 endemic plants are found on this island chain, displaying a variety of adaptations to the challenging cold-and-windy climate. Tree-daisies have protective fuzzy leaves, while megaherbs (herbs with large leaves), such as the Chatham Island forget-me-not and giant sowthistle, have oversized leaves that help shield the plant from harsh winds. Many of the plants have evolved other giant structures. For example, the Chatham Island forget-me-not also grows up to three feet (1 m) in diameter, and the spectacular rautini, or shrub daisy, can grow to be up to 26 feet (8 m) tall.

	Chatham Island oystercatchers can lead ground predators away from nesting sites by using distracting behaviors such as conspicuous walking, feigning injury, and false brooding.

Wild Side

Millions of seabirds breed on the Chatham Islands, joined by marine mammals such as the New Zealand fur seal, Hooker’s sea lion, leopard seal, and southern elephant seal. Several bird species have become extinct since human settlement. But seven rare endemic species are still found on the island today, including the Chatham Island black robin, which had dwindled down to five individuals before intensive management increased the population. A rich and diverse insect fauna lives on the Chathams, with 20 percent of the 750-800 species found here estimated to be endemic.

Cause for Concern

Much of the land has been cleared since the arrival of Polynesians and Europeans. Introduced predators have contributed greatly to the decline of bird life and invertebrates. Two of the smaller islands, Rangatira and Mangere, have been designated as nature reserves, and healthy insect and vegetation communities are thriving there. But endemic plants could be threatened with the loss of their native pollinators, the endemic birds. Fishing is a main source of income for the 750 human inhabitants, but it seems to be conducted on a sustainable basis.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.