Where to begin?!? What a manic and scary time for many of us. A lot of scientific research being carried out by friends and colleagues has hit an unavoidable pause. I personally have taken the time to recharge my batteries, reconnect with family, reignite my love of trashy TV shows and yoga and remember why this research is important to me. That last point has been my main motivation during these Auckland lockdowns.
Thankfully I was given Level 3 approval to complete some on-site ecological assessments of selected Auckland Primary schools over the recent school holidays as originally planned.
This let me see first hand what flora species are common on school grounds, what types of greenspaces are present and what potential the spaces have for both urban biodiversity contribution and environmental education and much much more. Plenty of data is collected at each site so when it comes down to the analysis portion there will be lots to work with.
The names of schools are not included nor important in this research, instead the focus is on patterns that may emerge and predictive factors between habitat extent and quality of greenspaces and other socio-economic or geographic factors.
Over the summer I will be completing the remainder of ecological assessments in schools with more information to come about how it is all looking, enjoy some of these photos of cool spaces I have seen so far 😊
Arohanui
