Member Wins Loder Cup

Forest and Bird, Issue 302, 1 November 2001, Page 6

Member Wins Loder Cup

LYNETTE HARTLEY

, Canterbury ecologist who earlier this year won an ‘Old Blue’ award from Forest and Bird, has now been awarded the Loder Cup, New Zealand’s premier award for botanical conservation. The award to Dr Colin Meurk recognises his outstanding contribution to the conservation of New Zealand’s flora and fauna. Dr Meurk is a scientist at Landcare Research in Lincoln, and is seconded part time to Christchurch City Council as an ecological consultant. Dr Meurk says his interest in ‘ecology and the big holistic things to do with life’, started early. He remembers his uncle giving him a book by Peter Scott, the renowned English bird painter, who set up Slimbridge wildfowl refuge and wetland. Slimbridge was in the back of Dr Meurk’s mind when he was working to protect Travis Swamp, a wetland on the outskirts of Christchurch. Travis swamp is now regarded as one of the most valuable areas of natural habitat in the

eastern South Island. As a consultant Dr Meurk had encouraged the city council to plant native vegetation along the edges of waterways within Christchurch. He said council research had shown the majority of people using parks supported the work. Some people felt ‘threatened’ by native plants and the ‘squeaky-wheel principle’ resulted in the council compromising. "There is a vociferous and influential minority who are able to chew the ear of the council and councillors to unravel some of the advances in native plant initiatives in the city, he says. Dr Meurk would like to see half the 100 kilometres of waterways in Christchurch planted in natives instead of the present two percent. The Loder Cup is was first awarded in 1962 by Gerald Loder, later Lord Wakehurst, who developed an extensive collection of New Zealand plants on his estate in Surrey,

England. —