Girish Prayag and Richard Aquino

Saving the Kea From Tourists

Many of us love watching birds in our garden and feeding them, it gives us a sense of accomplishment helping nature. Travel allows us to see and interact with wildlife, but do we understand the implications behind this? The kea is a charismatic native bird of Aotearoa found on many of the great walks in the South Island. They love interacting with humans and this is killing them. In this talk, we outline why and how tourists (domestic and international) interact with kea, and what are the consequences of these human-wildlife encounters. We also outline what behaviour change will be required from all of us to ensure the survival of this much adored bird.

Bios

Girish Prayag is a Professor of Tourism and Marketing at the University of Canterbury Business School. He is an expert in the area of resilience and tourist behaviour. He is the co-author of a number of books on resilience and disaster tourism and has published widely in the field of tourism and hospitality. He has collaborated on projects with ChristchurchNZ, Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust and Department of Conservation.

Richard Aquino is a Lecturer of Tourism and Marketing at the University of Canterbury Business School. His areas of research include sustainable tourism, tourist behaviour and community development. He has worked on projects with the Southland District Council and Department of Conservation.