Show Notes
In our very first episode of 'Under the Lens', co-hosts Professor Amanda Black, Professor Peter Dearden and Dr Nick Waipara discuss the complexities of bioprotection in Aotearoa New Zealand. They delve into the necessity of managing all ecosystems in Aotearoa New Zealand, the challenges of returning to a 'natural state', and the interconnectedness of bioprotection with agriculture, conservation, and community health.
The conversation highlights the goal of bioprotection to develop sustainable tools and practices that balance productivity with environmental conservation.
The discussion also touches on the importance of community involvement and the long and often challenging journey of scientific research, emphasising the need for innovation and collaboration to address environmental issues effectively. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Under the Lens
No one has said we don't need biosecurity. There are ways to do this. There are people with knowledge, there are communities who care, and there are ways to secure and protect the unique landscapes of Aotearoa.
Tame Malcolm (Te Arawa: Ngāti Tarāwhai, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Ngararanui, Ngāti Whakaue) has spent his career getting people excited about the bush, the birds, and the ecosystems that make Aotearoa unique. Because as he puts it, no one protects what they don't know. In this episode the General Manager of Te Arawa Lakes Trust explores what biosecurity could look like if we wiped the slate clean and started from something uniquely ours, grounded in Aotearoa's own identity, culture, and knowledge.
Biology has changed. The amount of biological data we can now collect has exploded, from automated sensors at our borders to genomic data tracking where pests come from. But are we maximising the opportunities to gather insight that this data could offer?
Biosecurity is often thought of as systems and agencies. But communities, people, and places are also doing the long term work, often with little resourcing and even less say in how it gets done.
Season two of Under the Lens is here, and we are starting somewhere unexpected. Fellow co-hosts Amanda and Peter turn the lens on Nick Waipara, drawing on his 25 years in biosecurity to ask what a reimagined system would actually look like.