The University of Otago Centre for Sustainability Research ecology professor and Te Pūnaha Matatini New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence co-director said even after 20 years in the profession, she never expected to be in their company.
"I feel as though I'm standing in the company of people who inspire me deeply — some of whom I've looked up to for many years.
"They are one of the reasons that I was really attracted to the British Ecological Society, because when you look at their fellows, they are advocates, they are researchers, they are people in the community who make a difference for nature.
"They are a broad group of people who are making incredible contributions.
"So for me to stand as part of that group is a real honour. It inspires me to want to keep trying to do more."
Prof Wehi said she was drawn to study ecology by "a passion for nature".
"I grew up in Dunedin and I was really lucky to grow up in a family which used to walk the Pineapple track on the weekends and go to the beaches.
"And as anyone who grows up in the South Island knows, living in a place like Dunedin where we have access to such incredible places and where you can see wildlife and experience nature, that really ignited a passion in me.
"I had this sense of wonder and I really wanted to do something practical to help protect our species and make sure that people in the future could also experience the same joy that I felt.
"Because who doesn't want to see a kākāpō, right? Who doesn't love a kea coming to visit and rip the rubber off your car?
"As a child, your parents might not enjoy that, but when you're a child, you think it's absolutely marvellous, right?"
She has two main research themes.
One is sexual dimorphism and foraging behaviour, including isotope and nutrient analyses of diet in animals past and present.
The second is historical ecology and socioecological relationships, including cultural environmental management.
She is particularly passionate about the behaviour and ecology of endemic New Zealand wētā.
Outside of her research work, she has served as an associate editor for one of the British Ecological Society’s flagship journals, People and Nature, between 2018 and 2024.
She was one of 23 ecologists from around the globe, recently elected as fellows of the society.
Society selection panel member Prof Tim Coulson said fellows were a distinguished and growing community, recognised for their outstanding contributions to ecology through research, teaching, leadership, policy and the practical application of ecological science.
"Together, they represent a remarkable breadth of expertise and experience in the ecological community."
