Shorebird Conservation: Connecting Habitats, Countries & People (EP35 with Keith Woodley)

• 🎧 Episode overview

  In this episode, we sit down with Keith Woodley (MNZM) from Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, to unpack the incredible lifestyles of shorebirds, their habitats, and the work people are doing to protect them.

• 🔑 Key topics covered

  • Shorebird adaptations and why some of them migrate from the Arctic Tundra to NZ.

  • The diverse range of shorebird habitats worldwide and in Aotearoa.

  • Ngutu Pare (Wrybill): their adaptations, life cycle, threats, and conservation activities.

  • The importance of braided rivers of the South Island and their restoration.

  • Kuaka (Bar-Tailed Godwit): their adaptations, life cycle, threats, and conservation activities.

  • Why North Korea is an important migratory shorebird stronghold.

  • Keith’s experiences travelling to North Korea for shorebird conservation.

  • The importance of international collaboration to protect migratory waterbirds.

  • And much more…

• 🧑‍🦱 About Keith

  In 1993, while living on the Kapiti Coast, Keith Woodley stumbled into the role of resident manager at the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, in the Firth of Thames. 32 years later, he is still there. With a degree in politics and history, this was not the future he envisaged. During this time, migratory birds have led him to numerous shorebird sites - in Australia, Indonesia, China, North and South Korea, and Alaska. There has emerged from these experiences, three books: Godwits: long-haul champions (2009), Shorebirds of New Zealand: Sharing the margins (2012) and In Pursuit of Champions: The Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre story (2022).

  🔗Learn more:

  • Website: https://www.shorebirds.org.nz

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaShorebirdCentre

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pukorokoro_miranda_shorebirds

  • The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership website: https://eaaflyway.net

  • New Zealand Birds Wader Count: https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/schemes/national-wader-count

• 🎙️ About the podcast

  The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity.

  We are on a mission to help make conservation mainstream by amplifying the awesome stuff people are doing to help nature all around Aotearoa New Zealand.

  Because when people are aware, connected to the ecosystems around them and care enough to take positive action, only then will we see lasting change.

  Listen in and follow us to start or deepen your journey.