The Green Desk: September 3, 2019

This week on Green Desk, Mitch speaks to University of Canterbury’s Jo Carpenter who recently published her thesis on seed dispersal in Aotearoa’s flightless birds. The research had a rather specific focus on Weka, which are often be seen as a nuisance amongst campers and trampers, however Jo’s research has discovered that Weka are excellent seed dispersers and are essential to the survival of certain species. The research also showed the significant implications of human interaction with Weka, where those which experienced interaction through camping or picnicking tended to be 40 and 50% less effective in their role functions. Mitchell and Jo discuss the findings of her research and begins by asking her how it began and what she was set out to achieve.