Biz Bell: Seabird ecologist and island restoration specialist 

Interview with BARRY SCOTT (Editor)

How did you get into conservation work?

I had a big advantage as I was born into it through my late father Brian Bell who worked for the NZ Wildlife Service and was a dedicated ornithologist and conservationist. As kids we visited lots of places and learnt a lot about seabirds. I fell in love with islands and seabirds. Then in 1995 I got an invitation from the late Mike Limber, a Department of Conservation (DOC) seabird specialist and renowned ornithologist, to study the status of the black petrel/tākoketai on Aotea Great Barrier. So, in January of 1996 I went up Hirakimatā with Mike to start what has become a life time study of the tākoketai. 27 years later we are still monitoring black petrels on Hirakimatā, and I am still learning something new every year. 

Could you give us some background to Wildlife Management International?

This is a private company started by my dad in 1992 and then run by my brother Mike for a period before I took over ownership and management. It is a small conservation consulting firm that specialises in avian-related conservation, but also reptiles and frogs. We are also specialists in island restoration work, which we have carried out mainly in Europe and the Caribbean. We have a great team that is passionate about ornithology and ecology. Although we have a steady flow of work, we are always on the lookout for new projects to keep the momentum of the company flowing. A lot of our work in New Zealand is done under contract for regional Councils and for DOC with whom we have close relationships. 

What are your stand-out projects?

The black petrel/tākoketai project has to be the stand out project. Such amazing birds that breed in such a special place in the cloud forest of Hirakimatā. I am a real island freak. I just love working closely with island communities and seeing their joy with the outcomes of island restoration work. One stand out I have is meeting with a grandmother on the island of St Agnes, the southernmost populated island of the Isles of Scilly, who talked about her vivid memories of the Manx shearwaters that were abundant on the island when she was a child, and the joy for her almost 100 years later to once again see and hear these wonderful birds, following eradication of rats on the island in 2013. A key role in working with these communities is to train them on how to look after the wildlife on the island. It is great to see the community throwing themselves behind these projects by maintaining biosecurity to protect what they have and utilising the new status of the island for new ventures such as ecotourism. 

There must be some major people challenges in setting up these projects?

Yes there are, but it is important to remember that the communities are the most important part of the island fabric. Before we start any restoration work there are a whole range of different conversations that have to be had. Some understand the importance of the work quickly and are immediately on board. Others have no understanding of why the work is being carried out so have lots of questions and may require several conversations before they are on board. 

While there are some common challenges, each island has its unique set that you have to work through. But the rewards are great from working closely with the community. It is important that we do the work as safely as possible for the community using the right techniques and tools. Aotea like any island has its own set of challenges. But what it does have are lots of passionate people all keen to see the ecology of the island restored and protected. Islands are pretty special places with very special communities. 

You have been coming to aotea Great Barrier now for 27 years, so what changes have you observed?

Within the community there is now a groundswell of very enthusiastic people wanting to protect the environment. There are many small groups - Glenfern and Windy Hill Sanctuaries; Okiwi, Awana, Medlands, Okupu and Tryphena groups – all around the island with a common goal. It’s absolutely amazing. But it is seeing birds like the Cook’s petrel and kākā now present in reasonable numbers and nesting on the island that stands out, never mind the chevron skink, pāteke, banded rail and other birds. Kākā used to just visit the island and then fly off to Hauturu and other places to nest. But now there is a good sized breeding population on the island, as a result of improved habitat for them to breed and more abundant food sources following recovery of the forests combined with plantings by individuals all over the island. Underlying all this is increased predator control. Even quite depauperate areas can recover quite quickly once predator numbers are significantly reduced. 

Who funds your work?

We have contracts from MPI or DOC but because I am just so passionate about this bird our company is able to subsidise some of this work. I am in love with black petrels and the island. To really understand seabird populations, which are long lived, you need to monitor them over long periods of time. This year might be a bad year for the seabirds because of the impact of the Auckland Anniversary storm, cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, and other storms on the island. It may even be disastrous for black petrel and other seabirds. I am heading out to Aotea again next week to band the chicks so am very concerned at what I might find. We know we have lost ~30% of the chicks already but hope it is not more than that. 

Postscript: 2023 has not been as disastrous as we thought with 61% breeding success compared to better years of around 73%. Let’s hope climate change does not bring too many of these massive storms. 

What does your monitoring programme entail?

We have ~500 burrows that we monitor three times each year during the breeding season. In early December when birds are laying their eggs we determine the number of birds breeding, sex of the birds, and number of eggs. At night we capture young birds returning from their OE who are a bit confused about what they are supposed to be doing. We then go back at the end of January/early February when chicks are hatching to determine the degree of hatching success and then finally in late April/early May to get a final tally of chicks that have survived and band them before they fully fledge and leave the island. It is very labour-intensive work but I am fortunate to have lots of skilled and enthusiastic helpers each year. 

What predator control is there on Hirakimatā? 

While we have a network of Good Nature A24 traps for suppressing rat numbers it is feral cats that have the greatest impact on the population. Fortunately, the cats do not seem to like wet and humid sites like Hirakimatā, so we do not see very many feral cats around the mountain. Since DOC started feral cat control around Okiwi, related to pāteke protection, a lot of the learned behaviour within the population has been eliminated. Previously there were cats that had learned to head up the mountain when the black petrels were breeding but now a lot of that ‘memory’ has gone. But we still observe some cat predation. Now that Tū Mai Taonga is operating on the mountain we expect cat numbers will be even lower. 

What differences have you seen 27 years on from when you started? 

The population is currently classified as “Stable to Declining”. Seabirds like the black petrel are at greatest risk from commercial fishing. Recruitment of young birds seems to be the main issue. Most of the older birds are coming back but the chicks that have been banded are not returning in the numbers we would expect. They migrate to the seas off the coast of South America where they spend 2-3 years before returning. Even those that do return have to find a burrow and a mate before they start breeding. Of the ~5000 birds we have banded since we started back in 1995, less than 400 have been recaptured at the colony, which corresponds to a return rate of less than 10% which is very worrying. Perhaps we need to capture more birds to increase the confidence levels of our numbers, but it is not looking good. 

Do you have any bilateral relationships with countries in South America? 

New relationships are being built with groups in Peru and Ecuador. We recently hosted a Peruvian scientist who is monitoring the birds off their coast and training their local fisherman on how to protect the seabirds. We have produced a seabird guide for them that focuses on tākoketai. They also see tākoketai as a very special bird which is nice to know. 

What about the NZ fishing industry? 

We host fisherman on the mountain on a regular basis. We want them to fall in love with the birds by visiting the colony and seeing what we are doing and letting them handle the birds. It is hard not to become enamoured with the big fluffy chicks! New Zealand fishing companies are trying hard. They know that catching these protected birds is not good for their business. It did take around 10 years before they would meet with us to discuss the plight of the birds then another couple of years before we got them to visit the colony. Now we have several fishermen who are now strong advocates for the birds. It has been really amazing to see those ‘light bulb’ moments when they see the birds at the colony and realise that the birds are fisherman like them, heading out to sea to catch fish to bring back to their young. It is super important that we have a good relationship with the fisherman and for them to realise they can help scientists considerably from their observations at sea. They are naturally a bit suspicious of scientists and their motives so it is important to build a strong relationship with them as their observations on the behaviour of these majestic birds at sea will really complement what we are learning on the land where the birds tend to be rather clumsy. They are probably surprised to know they have become citizen scientists. 

What does the future hold for Aotea? 

I think Aotea is tracking in an incredible way. I have seen some big changes. There are so many diverse conservation projects underway on the island and a groundswell of support for the island to one day become predator free. However, we still need to see greater recognition at a national level of the conservation status of Aotea in New Zealand. The island is home to some key endemic species and has a remarkably rich biodiversity. But we could also have so much more. There are still a lot of conversations to be held. We need to make sure the community is aware of the new technologies that are being developed around the momentum of Predator Free 2050. Aotea is a perfect location for trialling some of these new tools. Some of these conversations will be difficult so it is crucial there is openness and transparency associated with them. I am looking forward to the day when all the species on the island are flourishing and they are just New Zealand species. Once the island is predator free, we can reintroduce some of the species that have been lost from the island. From what I have seen from islands overseas that have become predator free there will be huge scope for ecotourism. It could be absolutely incredible. 

Just have look at Hauturu. It is astonishing to be greeted by so many noisy & nosey birds and to see how they are flourishing on this island. Aotea could be the same. We could have hihi, kōkako, tīeke and many others absolutely flourishing on the island. But we also need greater protection of the marine environment around Hauturu and Aotea and recognition of the strong ecological connection between the sea and the land, rather than the current disconnect. 

Will Rakiura become predator free before Aotea? 

I would like to see both become predator free. Because the community is more confined on Rakiura than on Aotea it might have the edge, but it is also a much bigger island. What is most important is keeping the momentum going on both islands. As I said above each island is different and has its own challenges. 

Any other thoughts you would like to share with us? 

It is important we all spread the message about the importance of protecting and restoring our natural ecosystems throughout New Zealand. Those of us involved in this process must spread the message by engaging with the communities around us. One thing we have done with the black petrel project is to host tamariki at the colony each year. It is now so satisfying to see those young children 10-20 years later involved in all sorts of amazing jobs but knowing that the tākoketai occupy a special place for them. They are the pulse of the community, the future problem solvers. They are the ones that will get us over the line. It is so cool that there are jobs in this space for these young people. We need to harness that youth power. We all must protect our own backyard and have the responsibility to leave it better than we found it.