Harrison Talarico is a Field Ranger with the New Zealand Department of Conservation, working as a member of the Southern New Zealand Dotterel/Tūturiwhatu Recovery Team on Rakiura.
For long-term listeners however, Harrison will be a familiar name, as he first joined us in season 2 episode 43 – at that time as an honours student with Adrift Lab, where he studied acoustic indices and their usefulness in tracking the migratory arrival of short-tailed shearwaters.
From one bird species to another, Harrison is now focused on helping save the critically endangered Southern New Zealand Dotterel. Being found only on Stewart Island and with less than 145 birds left in the wild, this is a crucial race against the clock.
In this episode we discuss:
• Harrison’s background and update on his honours project
• The complexities and usefulness of acoustic monitoring in ecology
• Important advice for students considering a research pathway
• Harrison’s work and internship with the not-for-profit Arid Recovery
• Current work with the Department of Conservation
• The critically endangered Southern New Zealand Dotterel
• Dotterels and issues with pests, pets, genetic diversity and human interactions
• Plans moving forward to help save this important bird species and other wildlife
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