Get out the gumboots and spades, urges Dionne Christian, and plant natives to spruce up the region's parks.

Pellets laced with 1080 poison will be fed to trout to assess potential risks from the planned massive dump of the pesticide in native forests.

The humble radiata pine might not seem an obvious target for millions of dollars of research and development.

Officials have been impressed at new results of a C02-powered pest trap, which has matched 1080 poison in wiping out entire rat populations.

In South Island beech forests, rangers are collecting branches from the canopy of native forests to see how much food is around for native wildlife - and pests.

The Department of Conservation is planning to upset the stomachs of kea that scavenge for food from tourists - a move designed to save the birds' lives.

Tony Abbott's administration has been accused of being the most conservation-hostile in living memory.

Opponents of the controversial poison 1080 are furious at a planned bombardment and say the Conservation Minister is misleading the public.

Pest poison 1080 will be used to deal with an expected 30 million extra rats this year which threatens to "annihilate" the country's native endangered birds.

With six deaths already this year, the forestry industry has been warned to clean up its act. But in the search for solutions, politics and money are distracting from the focus on the lives lost.

As more Kiwis look to South America for adventure, Karen Phelps compiles a bucket list for the continent.

It has took seven years for two nature lovers to produce a book capturing the uniqueness of our native trees.

Toilet paper maker Cottonsoft is keeping secret rainforest test results which it says proves its product is environmentally friendly.