High up on the hills behind Westport is the last unmodified coal field habitat in New Zealand. This harsh environment is home to a wide range of rare species including the great spotted kiwi. Currently the area is threatened by a proposed open cast mine. Click here to see what Forest & Bird have been doing to protect this area.
Some of the plants featured in this article are coal field endemics while others are more widespread plants that have adapted to the harsh coal soil environment on the Denniston Plateau.