Inaugural Professorial Lecture – Professor Yolanda van Heezi

Professor Yolanda van Heezik's Inaugural Professorial Lecture, "Nature connections and biodiversity in our urban green spaces".

Nature connections and biodiversity in our urban green spaces Urban ecology is a relatively recent discipline, because historically ecology has focused on more “pristine” natural environments, with highly modified landscapes seen as being of little interest. Urban ecology recognises that because humans are the driving force in urban landscapes, influencing biodiversity in a variety of ways, a socio-ecological approach is required to understand patterns of diversity and species distributions.

This presentation describes urban ecological research in New Zealand that seeks to understand the social and environmental drivers of species’ distributions, the factors influencing interactions between people and nature, as well as multi-disciplinary research designed to support conservation initiatives.