Inaugural Professorial Lecture– Professor Yolanda van Heezik: POSTPONED

Nature connections and biodiversity in our urban green spaces.

About Professor Yolanda van Heezik research
Yolanda’s early research in New Zealand and Europe focused on reproductive strategies, growth, and diet in sea and shorebirds. This was followed by nine years as a wildlife biologist in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on performance of captive populations for reintroduction, and habitat use, distribution and abundance of wild populations of Arabian birds and mammals.

Since her appointment at Otago in 2001, she has re-engaged in seabird research, expanded her work to include the ecology and management of pest species, and has initiated a major programme of research in urban ecology, investigating urban wildlife and the impacts of invasive urban predators. Through inter-disciplinary collaborations, and with Marsden and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment funding, her urban research has expanded into investigations of social and environmental drivers of biodiversity in private gardens, children’s connection with nature in urban areas, impacts of ageing on nature connection, and patterns of green space use in relation to biodiversity values.

This lecture will be followed with light refreshments, tea, coffee & juice.