April 12: Galapagos of the South? …you decide… – Gillie Matthew

You could fly 5000 kilometres as the albatross flies from London and reach Dubai.

Or you could travel 5000 kilometres by sea, south-east of New Zealand to see what is reputed to be ‘the most diverse collection of seabirds in the world’.  When you hear there are 40 breeding seabirds, that’s 11 percent of the world’s entire seabird population, 15 species of albatross and 14 species of penguin, as a bird and nature lover you will probably start to swoon.  And that’s only the birds!     

It’s not all smooth sailing.  The Roaring Forty and Furious Fifty latitudes are home to seven groups of islands which once hosted sealers and whalers but are now protected by UNESCO World Heritage, rough seas and isolation.  

Come with Gillie Matthew on her journey to The Snares, Auckland Islands, Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, Antipodes, Bounties and Chathams, apply your experience with biodiversity and let’s make a consensus decision: is it a “Galapagos of the South”?  Gillie is a keen birder with considerable experience working in the parks and conservation areas of government and is a popular speaker at Friday Forum.

Everyone is welcome at Friday Forum on April 12th at the Noosa Parks Association Environment Centre, 5 Wallace Drive, Noosaville. The forum starts at 10:30am and morning tea is available at 10-10.25am. Entry is $5 by tap & go at the door which includes morning tea/coffee.  

Join the bird observers at 8.30am in the carpark for interpretive birding.