The following speakers have been confirmed for the 2015 conference (a detailed schedule can be downloaded here (PDF, 53.80 kB)):
Early Plant Conservation in New Zealand
Sir Alan Mark (Otago University) - Tane Ngahere Lecture: Conservation of the South Island high country: past, present and future
Rob McGowan (Nga Whenua Rahui) - What do plants used for rongoa (traditional Maori medicine) tell us about the health and state of New Zealand’s natural world?
John P Adam (Endangered Gardens) - An ecological historiography of the Auckland Domain ti-tree grove 1860-1930
Unique Southern Flora
John Barkla (Department of Conservation) - Living on the edge - challenges of finding and conserving lowland Olearia species
Brian Rance (Department of Conservation) - The flora, vegetation and ecology of the Antipodes Island.
Peter Heenan (Landcare Research) - Patterns and types of endemism in the NZ flora
Catherine Kirby (University of Waikato) - Getting off the ground - an update on epiphyte research and engagement
Brian Patrick (Wildlands Consultants) - What our butterflies tell us about our indigenous flora
Grassroots Plant Conservation
Anita Benbrook (Wellington City Council) - Enhancing support for community groups to ensure the right conservation outcome – a Wellington case study
Craig Wilson (Department of Conservation) - Greening the brown – revegetation in the drylands of Central Otago
Max Crowe (Oamaru Community Nursery) - Free trees! The story (so far) of the Waitaki Community Nursery.
Glen Riley (Sinclair Wetlands Trust) - Up to my ears with volunteers - the impact of voluntourism
Jeremy Rolfe (Department of Conservation) - Assessing the conservation status of plants at regional scales within New Zealand
Threatened Plant Research
Alex Fergus and Kelly Frogley (Department of Conservation) - How non-vascular species data from Department of Conservation’s national biodiversity monitoring system can improve our knowledge base and inform threat listing processes
Debra Wotton (Moa’s Ark) - Seed longevity, germination and dispersal of the threatened shrub Muehlenbeckia astonii
Yu Kai (Massey University) - Changes in seed coat morphology of Clianthus species and Carmichaelia muritai with desiccation to ultradry moisture contents
Jessie Prebble (Massey University) - When delimiting species has conservation implications; how many species in the Myosotis pygmaea group?
Sarah Beadel (Wildlands Consultants) - Our special geothermal flora and management of threats
Native Plant Protection
Marie Brown (Environmental Defense Society) - The fate of our flora: making policy work for plants
Rob Wardle (QEII National Trust) - The ‘Mahu Whenua’ Covenants – where philanthropy meets the landscape
Paula Warren (Department of Conservation) - Recent and planned changes in the law as it relates to plant conservation.
The Next Generation of Plant Conservationists
Jenie Upton (Enviroschools) - Enviroschools - Growing young conservationists
Tim Logan (Independent) - Perspectives of a young plant conservationist: Our battle for biodiversity
Jane Gosden (Department of Conservation) - Botanical opportunities in Department of Conservation’s National Biodiversity Monitoring Programme
Esther Dale (University of Otago) - Seabirds, salt and soaking: Seed dispersal and germination of Cook’s scurvy grass
Sarah Wright (University of Canterbury) - Connecting the dots: The conservation genetics of Pittosporum obcordatum, a rare divaricating shrub.
Working With Natives
Laura Young (University of Canterbury) - Native biodiversity and farming - are win-win outcomes possible on sheep and beef farms?
Matt Ward (Restore) - Eco-sourcing in practice - supplying the seed
Arne Cleland (Pukerau Nursery) - Built southern tough: Getting native plants back onto farms
Emma Bodley (Auckland Botanic Gardens) - Botanic Gardens’ role in plant conservation
Philip Smith (O2 Landscapes) - Tangible connections
Building Networks and Partnerships
Pieter Pelser and Julie Barcelona (University of Canterbury) - Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines - discovery through photography
Craig McGill (NZ Indigenous Flora Seedbank) - The New Zealand Indigenous Flora Seed Bank: Future-proofing our biodiversity through collaboration
Dr Justin Maxwell (University of Otago) - A collaborative project to conserve the remaining culturally significant broad leaved forests on Rēkohu (Chatham Island).
Jo Lynch (Australian Network for Plant Conservation) - Protecting Australian Flora
Tom Myers (Dunedin Botanic Gardens) - The role of botanic gardens in research on native plants, with examples from Dunedin