Having spent the best part of 2004 living in Nova Scotia I can say from personal experience that the wildlife their is far more varied than in NZ. While this is interesting it also has its downsides. Having removed dozens of porcupine quills from a dog's face, dealt with the effects of skunk sprayed dogs in the house and taken measures to avoid close contact with large predators such as bears, mountain lions and coyotes/wolves, and snakes while in rural areas I'm fully aware of how benign and welcoming NZ's environment is.
Also the contiguous aspect of countries in a continental setting also means that pest insects and diseases on plants are pretty much impossible to isolate and so quickly become endemic only restricted by climatic extremes, which of course are now being diluted by our changing climate. In other words be grateful for NZ's natural isolation and strong biosecurity measures.
Also the contiguous aspect of countries in a continental setting also means that pest insects and diseases on plants are pretty much impossible to isolate and so quickly become endemic only restricted by climatic extremes, which of course are now being diluted by our changing climate. In other words be grateful for NZ's natural isolation and strong biosecurity measures.