Name: Rebecca Stanley
Position: Botanist, Auckland Conservancy
Based in: Central Auckland

Image credit: New Zealand Herald

Main tasks performed

• Rare plant survey and monitoring i.e. looking for threatened plants in the wild and checking their health
• Research into why some plants are rare and what we need to do to keep them at the places where they grow
• Raising the profile of rare plant work at DOC and in the public
• Member of Recovery Groups where we discuss ways to save plants form extinction
• Give advice on ecological, mostly botanical, values and management needs on DOC managed public land
• Work with Iwi, local councils, Regional Council, Non-government organisations and private landowners

Things I like about my job:

• Helping to protect NZ's biodiversity
• Getting people interested in our rare plants
• Working in beautiful places like Great Barrier, Little Barrier etc.
• Learning more about techniques to conserve rare plants
• Working with community groups

Personal Interests:

• my veggie garden (and my compost heap!)
• NZ Music

Skills that are important in my job:

• communication skills
• patience (rare plants are very difficult to find!)
• knowledge of plant ecology i.e. the interaction of plants with their environment and invaders such as weeds and pests (e.g. pigs, possums, rats etc.)

Where I live: Grey Lynn, Auckland. 25 minutes walk to work.

Qualifications: Science degree (B.Sc hons), Arts Degree (B.A.)

Conservation is important because: I believe we all have a responsibility to look after our environment and everything in it, not only for our own well being, but for the environment itself.