Most of us know what constitutes a typical field guide: photographs and descriptions of a particular group of species in a region or a country. But this is an evolving "field guide", a guide that continues to grow as authors of all ages, walks of life and expertise find something at Kioloa that so catches their imagination that they want to describe it.
This is a field guide written on the run and covering any species that authors care to describe. Thus the Kioloa Biological E-cyclopaedia, like evolution itself, will not be neat and orderly. It will go in fits and starts. A visit by students of invertebrate zoology will see a rush of entries in that discipline. But then a visiting bird group will quickly enhance the avian section. And then someone will crawl around on hands and knees scratching for underground fungi. Of course, they will need to return after rain and in different seasons to get anywhere close to describing all of the species. Most probably they never will.
The tale that you see here is not the end of the story because the story has no ending, just as it has no particular authors. It will sprawl, loop, twist and expand in every conceivable direction as each group adds their touch.
Like most books the Kioloa Biological E-cyclopaedia will have faults and weaknesses. In spite of our best attempts many will be obvious to experts in particular fields. But, unlike printed guides, this one is subject to almost immediate change. Thus, it is not only evolving in size but it is also evolving in quality as readers pore over the older information and make the necessary changes.
As threats to the environment proliferate this is our attempt to stimulate interest in the astonishing biodiversity hidden in a few square kilometres of coastal landscape. It is through awareness, interest and passion that we can preserve such places. Regrettably, disturbances caused by countless visitors have destroyed many similar environments so please tread gently to ensure that Kioloa exists in its present state for perpetuity.