Wayne O’Keefe: What Does a Healthy Ecosystem Look Like in Aotearoa New Zealand? (Episode #2)
(Note: you can also listen to this episode on YouTube or Spotify)
What does a healthy ecosystem actually look like in Aotearoa New Zealand?
And what role does the endangered kōkako bird (Callaeas wilsoni) play in the conservation landscape?
In this episode, we are joined by Wayne O’Keefe, who wears many hats in the conservation space, including ongoing efforts to help develop intergenerational forest corridors through KEEP, the Kōkako Ecosystem Expansion Programme.
Here are some of the things we discussed:
How and why kōkako are such a great indicator of forest health.
Why protecting kōkako really means looking after all the other species in the forest.
Why kōkako need at least 2000 hectares of connected forest to have a resilient population.
How this need evolved into creating ecological corridors that connect existing forest remnants through KEEP.
What 65 million years of isolation has done to New Zealand’s flora and fauna.
What a healthy ecosystem looks like in Aotearoa New Zealand.
What conservation means to Wayne.
And much more…
👩About Wayne:
Wayne O’Keefe has a passion for supporting community-based conservation initiatives. He serves a range of leading conservation organisations that include KEEP (Kōkako Ecosystem Expansion Programme), Bay Conservation Alliance, Tane’s Tree Trust, Whakatāne Kiwi Trust, and more…
🔗Learn more:
KEEP: www.keep.org.nz
Bay Conservation Alliance: www.bayconservation.nz
Whakatane Kiwi Trust: www.whakatanekiwi.org.nz
Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust: www.kiwitrust.org
Kaharoa Kōkako Trust: www.kokako.org.nz
🎙️About the podcast:
The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity that’s on a mission to make biodiversity conservation mainstream.
We do this by bringing a megaphone to the world of conservation by featuring people from all walks of life who are doing interesting and important things to help nature thrive. We aim to make it easy for everyone to learn, understand, take action, and feel like they’re a part of the solution.
Find out more about Conservation Amplified at www.conservationamplified.org.
🔗Connect with us:
Join our email list: (please subscribe using the form below)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/conservationamplified
Instagram: www.instagram.com/conservationamplified
Apply to be a guest: www.conservationamplified.org/podcast-guest
Enquire about becoming a sponsor: www.conservationamplified.org/sponsorships