Keynote 1: Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff, a veterinarian in wildlife conservation and former head of Conservation and Research at Auckland Zoo.

Why Conservation Medicine is also Conversation Medicine

We’re still in the early stages of understanding the ecology of disease in wild animals and the connections between the health of people, other animals, and the environment. Conservation Medicine addresses these interconnections. The only way it can do that is through collaboration. I’ll aim to illustrate this with the story of two microscopic parasites found in kiwi. Both threatened the highly successful Operation Nest Egg kiwi conservation programme, and one also threatened Aotearoa’s beef and dairy industry.

About Richard:

I’ve been lucky enough to work with wild animals since I left school aged 16. First as a zookeeper and later as a zoo and wildlife veterinarian and researcher. I’m now retired but during my 30 years at Auckland Zoo I found my collaborations with the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Primary Industries, Unitec and others the most rewarding. In response to a growing demand for advice and information about wildlife health I led the development of the Zoo’s hospital, research and teaching facility, the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM). I describe myself as a lifelong student in Mother Nature’s classroom because there’s so much she has yet to teach us. I look forward to sharing some of my insights with you.

Keynote 2: Associate Professor Anne Gaskett, sensory ecologist

Sensory ecology, colours and colourfulness in diverse animals, plants and fungi

Sensory ecology explores how species use and respond to stimuli like colours and smells. How do sensory stimuli affect interactions between animals, plants and fungi and their environments? I particularly love exploring how fruits, flowers and fungi use colours and smells to encourage or manipulate animals! With my students, we’ve studied a really wide range of species and contexts including orchids and their deceived pollinators in Aotearoa and Australia, moss and microarthropods, dung beetles and dung odours, horticultural fruit and moths, wine yeast, grapes andflies, myrtle rust and bees, Aotearoa’s native fruits, truffles, reptiles, kererū and moa, and tropical far North Queensland’s fruits, cassowaries and musky rat kangaroos. In this presentation I will focus on sensory biases and sensory traps and how we can explore, analyse, understand and enjoy nature’s rainbow, with a focus on diversity, diverse perspectives, colours and colourfulness.

About Anne:

I’ve always loved nature – here at Waipapa Taumata Rau, I study, teach and make discoveries about animals, their behaviour and relationships with other animals, plants and fungi.

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