Carolyn M. King – författare

The Handbook of New Zealand Mammals is the only definitive reference on all the land-breeding mammals recorded in the New Zealand region (including the New Zealand sector of Antarctica). It lists 65 species, including native and exotic, wild and feral, living and extinct, residents, vagrants and failed introductions. It describes their history, biology and ecology, and brings together comprehensive and detailed information gathered from widely scattered or previously unpublished sources.

The description of each species is arranged under standardised headings for easy reference. Because the only native land-breeding mammals in New Zealand are bats and seals, the great majority of the modern mammal fauna comprises introduced species, whose arrival has had profound effects both for themselves and for the native fauna and flora. The book details changes in numbers and distribution for the native species, and for the arrivals it summarises changes in habitat, diet, numbers and size in comparison with their ancestral stocks, and some of the problems they present to resource managers.

For this third edition, the text and references have been completely updated and reorganised into Family chapters. The colour section includes 14 pages of artwork showing all the species described and their main variations, plus two pages of maps.

Certificate of Commendation, The Royal Zoological Society of NSW 2021 Whitley Awards: Zoology Handbook

This book offers a sweeping history of Pureora Forest Park, one of the most significant sites of natural and cultural history interest in New Zealand. 

The authors review the geological history of the volcanic zone, its flora and fauna, and the history of Maori and European utilization of forest resources. Chapter-length discussions cover management of the native forest by the New Zealand Forest Service; the forest village and its sawmills; the intensive timber harvesting, and the conflicts with conservationists and expensive compensation agreements that ensued. Separate chapters cover initiatives to protect the forest from introduced herbivores; to guard protected species, especially birds, from predators; the facilities for recreational hunting; the development of the Timber Trail, an 83 km cycleway through the forest and along old logging tramways, complete with detailed interpretation signs illustrating the history of logging; and the family recreation areas and tracks. The final chapter gathers conclusions and advances prospects for the future of Pureora Forest.

In sum, the book demonstrates how ecological study, combined with a respect for people and for nature plus a flexible, interdisciplinary approach to both local history and current scientific priorities, can be welded into a consistently effective strategy for addressing the pressing forest-ecology questions of our time.