Restoring Our Island Song Together

This event is part of Conservation Week 2019 - www.conservationweek.org.nz

Join us to celebrate the next steps of the Te Korowai o Waiheke project as we move into the stoat eradication field work, and hear from some of New Zealand’s leaders in predator eradication and biodiversity.

- Return to Life: how New Zealand is leading the world in predator eradication action, ambition and achievement. Ed Chignell , CEO Predator Free 2050 Ltd.

Ed heads Predator Free 2050 Limited, a Crown company created in 2016 to deliver New Zealand’s predator-free goal. To date it has committed over $25m to enable the launch of five large landscape projects, including Waiheke Island, and is continuing to invest in research and development to improve predator eradication tools and capability.

Ed is no stranger to bringing people together around big and complex operational challenges. Prior to taking on this role, he co-founded and was CEO of Treescape, NZ’s largest arboriculture company.

- New tech, new hope: using new sound and light lures, thermal cameras and artificial intelligence to make efficiency gains in predator management. Grant Ryan, Cacophony Project Founder.

The Cacophony Project aims to use the latest technology to dramatically improve the ability to identify and eliminate predators, as well as to monitor birds. The use of thermal cameras, artificial intelligence and sound lures to allow rapid testing of new lures and traps. The Cacophony Project has been going for four years and has a number of world leading products ready to use. It is a non-profit open source project which means that all innovations can be shared, leading to a collaborative approach to effective predator control and eradication.

- Our island song: learn about the impact of sea birds on Waiheke Island. Kerry Lukies, Northern NZ Seabird Trust Restoration Coordinator.

Tikapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf, is a seabird superhighway. Waiheke Island is an important fuelling stop for seabirds, many of which visit prospecting for future homes. Guano excreted by seabirds has a large impact on the entire Waiheke Island ecosystem. Predator eradication helps create environments that support seabirds nesting here . Kerry Lukies recently completed her Masters on stress and foraging of little blue penguins in the Hauraki Gulf.

The Te Kororwai o Waiheke team, including the new field team staff, will also be on hand to answer any questions about the eradication program. Light refreshments will also be provided.