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The Green Desk

95bFM's long-running green issues feature, The Green Desk.

The Kelp Desk: The secret garden below the waves. April 26, 2023.

The Kelp Desk: The ocean's hidden forests. April 26, 2023. , 11.32 MB
Wed 26 Apr 2023

Sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees but spare a thought for the wilderness beneath the waves. Kelp forests are found in shallow ocean waters off a third of the world's coastlines, and, according to new research are worth hundreds of billions of dollars to society.

Marine ecologist Dr Aaron Eger led the study and is also the founder and director of the Kelp Forest Alliance – a research-driven not-for-profit dedicated to accelerating the protection and restoration of kelp forests worldwide. Today he's on The Green Desk to discuss his work putting a dollar value to the kelp forests below the sea level.

The Green Desk: Keeping up with the kākāpō. April 19, 2023.

The Green Desk: Keeping up with the kākāpō. April 19, 2023. , 11.5 MB
Wed 19 Apr 2023

Most people know the kākāpō as the endangered bird stuck on a few islands. The flightless bird was brought to the brink of extinction with only some 50 birds left at one point – But once upon a time, kākāpō covered Aotearoa from the north down to the south. What did they eat? How did they live without the rimu? This week, The Green Desk spoke to Dr Alex Boast from Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research who has been looking into the bird's pre-colonial droppings to answer these questions. 

The Green Desk: Wrestling with the wily weasel. April 12, 2023.

The Green Desk: Wrestling with the wily weasel. April 12, 2023. , 9.21 MB
Wed 12 Apr 2023

We know plenty about the harmful impact of stoats on NZ's native wildlife, but what about their smaller weasel cousins? This week on The Green Desk we spoke with Department of Conservation Ranger Jamie McAulay about the new research the little killers.

The Green Desk: Prescribing nature with Professor Xiaoqi Feng. April 5, 2023.

The Green Desk: Prescribing nature with Professor Xiaoqi Feng. April 5, 2023. , 8.52 MB
Wed 5 Apr 2023

Professor Xiaoqi Feng from The University of New South Wales has been looking into over 90 studies into nature prescriptions and wants to see them brought to Australia and New Zealand. They’re already in use in Canada, the US and the Uk and thinks is about time we join in. The evidence indicates contact with prescribed nature is associated with good social, mental, and physical health.

Any listeners interested in participating in Feng's current studies for select Australian cities can click here and sign up and sign up. Researchers interested in connecting with Feng can click here.

The Green Desk: Polyamorous southern elephant seals with Sophia Volzke. March 29, 2023.

The Green Desk: Polyamorous southern elephant seals w/ Sophia Volzke. March 29, 2023. , 9.55 MB
Wed 29 Mar 2023

This week on The Green Desk, reporter Jack Marshall speaks with PhD student and researcher Sophia Volzke about her latest paper looking into the lives of southern elephant seals and the problems of polyamory.

The Green Desk w/ Ben Green

The Green Desk w/ Ben Green The Green Desk w/ Ben Green, 13.76 MB
Thu 3 Nov 2022

Frances speaks to Tairāwhiti Emergency Manager Ben Green about a new flooding report.

The Green Desk w/ Craig Stevens

The Green Desk w/ Craig Stevens The Green Desk w/ Craig Stevens, 12.69 MB
Thu 20 Oct 2022

Today on Green Desk, Joel Armstrong spoke to Professor Craig Stevens from NIWA and the University of Auckland about the state of Aotearoa's marine environment.

 

The Green Desk w/ Emily Ward

The Green Desk w/ Emily Ward The Green Desk w/ Emily Ward, 12.99 MB
Thu 13 Oct 2022

Today on The Green Desk, Joel Armstrong speaks to University of Canterbury Master of Urban Resilience and Renewal student Emily Ward about barriers preventing people from cycling, walking, or taking public transport like the bus or the train.

The Green Desk: Termite Carbon Emissions w/ Cate Macinnis-Ng

The Green Desk: Termite Carbon Emissions w/ Cate Macinnis-Ng The Green Desk: Termite Carbon Emissions w/ Cate Macinnis-Ng, 13.69 MB
Thu 6 Oct 2022

Today, Stella hosts The Green Desk, as Frances is away. She speaks to one of the authors of a global study about the role that termites may play in climate change. Cate Macinnis-Ng is an associate professor in the school of biological sciences at the university of auckland, and has a particular research interest in plant responses to climatic conditions and the impacts of climate change on biodiversity more broadly.

 

The Green Desk: Clean Up Week w/ Heather Saunderson, September 22 2022

The Green Desk: Clean Up Week w/ Heather Saunderson, September 22 2022 The Green Desk: Clean Up Week w/ Heather Saunderson, September 22 2022, 15.31 MB
Thu 22 Sep 2022

This week on The Green Desk, Frances speaks to CEO Heather Saunderson from Keep New Zealand Beautiful about Clean Up Week!