Transforming Biodiversity in the Bay

Collaborative ecological restoration projects Cape to City and Poutiri Ao ō Tāne will be challenging conservation boundaries at the region’s first ever biodiversity conference.

Held next month at the Napier Conference Centre, the three-day event will be hosted by Kiwi writer and comedian Te Radar.

Cape to City and Poutiri Ao ō Tāne project chair Campbell Leckie says the decision to host the conference came from the sheer amount of interest from a wide range of people about both projects.

“This is an opportunity to find out in detail what we have been learning over the last four years in large scale ecological restoration and landscape scale predator pest management,” he said.

“The conference will look at the big picture of biodiversity restoration in New Zealand and consider some practical pathways to achieving this goal.”

The conference, will kick off on November 14 with keynote speaker Ed Chignell, CEO of Predator Free 2050 Ltd who will be followed by Department of Conservation Director General Lou Sanson, the Bug Man Ruud Kleinpaste and Andrea Byrom – the Director of the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge.

The second day will look at the on-the-ground learnings from the two projects, and direct learnings that can be applied across the country. The two sessions cover a range of topics from new tools and technology to habitat connectivity to involving people in the solution to restoring biodiversity.

The third day is an opportunity to visit the two projects, with field trips visiting key locations within the project areas.

Cape to City and Poutiri Ao ō Tāne are ground-breaking and collaborative ecological restoration projects in Te Matau a Māui/Hawke’s Bay, with a vision to bring native species back to Hawke’s Bay to thrive as part of the landscape – and our lives.

3 September 2019

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