Dr Kate Richardson

SCIENCE ADVISOR

My involvement with hihi research and the recovery group began in 2007, when I started a MSc project focused on one of the first mainland reintroduction attempts for hihi, in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges. Carrying out the post-release monitoring subsequent to this translocation highlighted the important role dispersal can play in reintroduction success. Subsequently my PhD research investigated the phenotypic and environmental factors driving dispersal and habitat selection in reintroduced populations, using the Maungatautari Ecological Island hihi population as a case study. I have also worked in biodiversity management roles at the Department of Conservation and in community conservation, and am currently in a postdoctoral role with San Diego Zoo Global, working on the Hawaii Endangered Bird Programme.