Date/Time
Date(s) - Wed 9 September
12:00 - 13:00
University of Waikato ERI Seminar series
Seminar Title: “Drivers of change in cities: Small spaces matter”
Speaker: Margaret Stanley (University of Auckland)
Abstract:
Urban biodiversity is under threat from a range of drivers and socio-ecological complexities at different scales – from the city scale down to backyards. Margaret will discuss these threats, focusing on how the way in which people manage their suburban backyards often leads to negative impacts on biodiversity, such as weed invasion. These examples will highlight the importance of ecological connectivity between residential properties and the urban matrix. However, like all good stories, she promises a happy (or at least hopeful) ending, with a focus on opportunities for place-specific nature and increasing biodiversity in small, multifunctional city spaces.
Biography:
Professor Margaret Stanley is an ecologist and director of the Masters’ programme in Biosecurity and Conservation at Waipapa Taumata Rau – University of Auckland. Previously, she was a scientist at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. She has broad community ecology interests, but her current research focuses primarily on urban ecology and invasive species. Margaret has worked on a menagerie of organisms, from invasive ants, weeds, feral cats, rats and pigs, to urban trees and birds. She enjoys working with postgraduate students and a variety of community and agency partners to use science to inform decision-making and improve biodiversity outcomes for Aotearoa.