The Variety of Life

Invasive plant species have a bad rep, but is this well-deserved, or are they misunderstood? In this talk, I’ll guide you through some case files on these fascinating villains and their alleged crimes against biodiversity, so you can decide for yourself. I’ll focus on my research in New Zealand, where invasive species are public enemy number one. You may find yourself surprised at which plants are considered troublemakers in New Zealand. Then we’ll expand our perspective to the global flora, and reflect on the importance of scale before you cast your verdicts on these notorious plants.

In this talk, I’ll focus on three research areas: understanding and predicting personality in chimpanzees, mirror self-recognition in primates, and measuring elephant personality and welfare. The more we understand the lived experiences of other species, particularly those whose existence is threatened, the more we can help them and find ways to tackle conflicts and allow humans and wildlife to share space. At the same time, understanding the psychology of human motivations and perceptions is key to facing challenges from companion animal welfare to the global crisis diminishing biodiversity.

Unwanted noise is an annoyance, but it can be even more dangerous than you may realise. The World Health Organisation considers noise pollution to be the second greatest environmental health threat in Europe, after air pollution. But does the din created by our human activities such as transportation and industry also have negative effects on wildlife? I’ll review what we have learned about the impacts of the increasingly noisy world on birds, and how what we learn from birds might be used to better understand how noise can affect our own lives.