Kiri Joy Wallace

Environmental Research Institute, University Of Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand

I am passionate about restoration of native ecosystems, especially in urban areas. Going hand-in-hand with that, I like to restore people's connection with nature, helping them enjoy and benefit from it! Research involving society and the environment sparks my interest and allows me to shine, whatever a specific project may entail.

I have a specific interest in urban restoration ecology and am a researcher in the MBIE-funded programme People, Cities & Nature. In this thread of work I explore aboveground urban forest planting and its impacts on belowground soil life. My latest interests have been in the microbiome of restored urban greenspaces and how it impacts the wildlife and humans who spend time in them.
For more: https://www.peoplecitiesnature.co.nz/

I am also a co-lead of the BioHeritage Eco-index for Aotearoa programme. In this mahi I lead a team focused on guiding biodiversity investment in Aotearoa New Zealand. We work with some of the major land management industries to explore how they can help restore biodiversity. This programme leans on artificial intelligence and remote sensing to give us a landscape-scale appreciation of restoration efforts.
For more: https://eco-index.nz/