A Dunedin scientist has received a national award for research which increased understanding of the risks faced by some of New Zealand's threatened species.
University of Otago Associate Prof Ian Jamieson was awarded the New Zealand Ecological Society Te Tohu Taiao Award for ecological excellence this week.
The award recognises the work he, his students and the colleagues he collaborated with had done, and its relevance to New Zealand, Prof Jamieson said.
He had made a particular effort to pass on the findings of his work to the Department of Conservation so they could use them in their management of threatened species.
Prof Jamieson continues to look at the consequences of small population sizes on threatened species and the consequences for long-term viability. He was working with the Allan Wilson Centre using cutting-edge technology in molecular biology to understand what was happening when those populations reach small numbers genetically.
Prof Jamieson will make the keynote address at the society's meeting next year.
