Avian flu: Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst

Talk Description
As part of a One Health approach, the Department of Conservation has spent years preparing for bird flu, specifically the arrival of H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza strain. Preparation has included surveillance systems, site-specific response plans, species protection plans, and even vaccines for some of our most threatened birds.

Yet for some of our rarest birds, even these efforts may not be enough. Many persist in tiny, isolated populations with limited genetic diversity. For them, the outcome may depend not only on what we do, but also on chance.

So while bird flu is the immediate threat, it is also a symptom of a bigger problem. In a rapidly changing world, novel pathogens and other emerging threats are becoming more common. The next question is how we build species and ecosystems resilient enough to withstand the next one. .
Bio
Tammy Steeves is Professor of Conservation Genomics in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury. Her team explores what happens when populations become very small and how that knowledge can help prevent extinction and support species recovery. Working alongside mana whenua, conservation practitioners, industry partners, and local communities, they draw on diverse sources of evidence to co-develop conservation strategies for some of Aotearoa New Zealand's rarest species.