Sunday, June 26, 2011 – Wellington


Forest & Bird media release for immediate use


Forest & Bird honours ecologist

Freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy has been awarded Forest & Bird’s prestigious Old Blue award for his research into freshwater ecosystems and his efforts to educate the public about the plight of our freshwater species.

Mike Joy has been highlighting the worsening state of our rivers and lakes for the last 15 years and was recently cited by the BBC in an interview with Prime Minister John Key which highlighted the difference between New Zealand’s 100% Pure tourism branding and the reality of declining water quality.

As well as his research work as Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Science at Massey University in Palmerston North, he is a passionate advocate in the public arena for our freshwater ecosystems.

“A lot of scientific papers are only read by other scientists. Where Mike differs from many other scientists is that he presents his work in a way the public understands,” says Ines Stager, the convenor of Forest & Bird’s executive awards committee.

Mike Joy has played an important role in making New Zealanders aware of the rapid decline of native fish and other life in our rivers and lakes caused by excessive water extraction, the building of dams, and pollution from runoff and discharges into our waterways.

Thanks to his work, increasing numbers of New Zealanders are aware that nearly half of our lakes and around 90 per cent of our lowland rivers are classed as polluted.

He is continuously highlighting the plight of our freshwater fish and plant species, and especially the rapid decline of our endemic longfin eel, which suffers from the impact of pollution, the blocking of its migration by dams and other structures, and commercial harvesting.

Mike Joy was one of five people to be awarded the Old Blue at Forest & Bird’s conference in Wellington during the weekend. The awards are named for the Chatham Islands black robin called Old Blue which was the last productive female of her species by the late 1970s. The efforts of Old Blue and a Wildlife Service team led by the late Don Merton means the population has recovered from a low of five to around 200 today.

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