The Rotorua geothermal resource is home to unique plants and organisms which live in and around the geothermal surface features.
Any evolved creature adds another diverse life form to environment and to the genetic pool of nature. Diverse life forms and their original genetic material offer humankind the potential to better understand natural processes and apply these to improved and new commercial opportunities. For example, bacteria which can thrive at extremes of temperatures and live in chemical mixtures that would be toxic to other life forms have been assessed for use in industrial processes.
The unique environment around geothermal surface features has provided microclimates and microcosms in which unique plant and fauna evolve and interact in ways that are often unique. Apart from genetic values there are unique ecological dynamics relating to species interactions that add to the diversity of nature and provide unique material and information from which to learn.
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