Turning the tide on biodiversity loss—will we make it?

David Bell from Trinity-at-Waiake Methodist Church

Conservation Lecture
with Professor Jacqueline Beggs, Professor in Ecology, University of Auckland.
Trinity Methodist Church, 864 Beach Rd, Waiake
7.00pm Sunday 17 November
New Zealand was one of the last large land masses to be colonised by humans, so the consequences of human arrival are still playing out and a good deal of our native biota and ecosystems are threatened. In New Zealand, one of the main threats are invasive species, but there are many other pressures such as agricultural expansion and climate change. Although we have made progress in managing some pest species, there remain many challenges and it is clear that we will need new strategies if we want to ensure our biodiversity and ecosystems are here for future generations to enjoy. Using examples from her involvement with conservation research, from the iconic kākāpō (nocturnal, ground parrot), to the ecology and control of introduced social wasps Professor Beggs will discuss the key challenges for conservation in New Zealand. She will also draw on some international initiatives that seek to engage a greater diversity of people in conservation.

Jacqueline Beggs is a Professor in Ecology at the University of Auckland. Her research has focussed on the ecology and control of invasive wasps, but she has also worked on kākā, kererū, kākāpō, and a range of invertebrates. This has resulted in more than 90 refereed scientific papers. Jacqueline is the Director of the Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity at the University of Auckland and leads the Sustainable Future research theme for the Faculty of Science. Jacqueline is a member of the Department of Conservation’s kākāpō recovery group and was a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on biosecurity.