An ode to magnificent Mosses - in data (and poetry!)

Social media channels at the Department of Conservation (DOC) recently featured pointers to an important release of supporting data related to the conservation status of mosses in Aotearoa New Zealand, ahead of an upcoming addition to the New Zealand Threat Classification Series.

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Contributing authors to the data summary report are Pascale Michel, Ryan deRegnier, Thomas Emmitt, Marley Ford, Leon Perrie and Aimee S.E. Pritchard. Photos by Pascale, Ryan and Marley attest to how magnificent mosses are.

Pascale’s photos 1, 2, & 3: Golden capsules of Ptychomnion aciculare (Not Threatened); A curtain of dangling Weymouthia mollis (Not Threatened); Large cushion of the hairy moss Racomitrium pruinosum and little black cushions of Andreaea species are common sighting in alpine habitats. Ryan’s photo: Colourful capsules of the endemic dung moss Tayloria purpurascens (At Risk – Uncommon) Marley’s photo: Dawsonia superba (Not Threatened), New Zealand’s largest moss; is found in native lowland and subalpine forest.

The conservation status of 560 species of mosses in Aotearoa New Zealand was assessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). Summary highlights of the data that has been gathered are:

67 species have not changed status
20 species have a neutral status (moved into or out of Data Deficient)
18 species have a worse status
1 species has an improved status
454 species have been added to the list

Further points to note are:

36 species are Threatened
156 species are At Risk
285 species are Not Threatened
5 species are Non-resident Native
42 species are Introduced and Naturalised
36 species are Data Deficient

You can access the full report here: newsletters.doc.govt.nz

An ode to magnificent Mosses - in data (and poetry!)

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Further reading and some poetry references for National Poetry Day 2025