Speaker: Dr Debra Wotton – Director and Principal Ecologist, Moa’s Ark Research; Research Associate, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury.

Limestone outcrops in the eastern South Island are hotspots of native plant diversity, with many endemic herbs and a disproportionately high number of threatened species. Almost half of the specialist limestone taxa in the eastern South Island are classified as Threatened or Data Deficient, and many have undergone dramatic declines in recent decades. These ecosystems are widely invaded by weeds, which are thought to be contributing to the decline of native plants. Weeds are managed at some sites, but weed control does not always benefit native biodiversity. Debra will present her research investigating whether weed control increases native dominance of vegetation, and the reproduction, survival and recruitment of threatened plant species in a limestone ecosystem. She will also highlight the special limestone plant species at her research site, Lance McCaskill Nature Reserve – the first reserve in New Zealand to be established for the purpose of protecting a native plant.

Meeting is in-person and via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89547154619?pwd=bE0zRXRWSXBBUkVoUjdPcElJNXlJUT09