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Associate Professor Yolanda van Heezik

Email yolanda.vanheezik@otago.ac.nz

Phone 64-3-479-4107

staff-photo-of-Yolanda

Teaching

Research Interests

  • Urban biodiversity
  • Impacts of cats and other predators on urban wildlife
  • Viability/distributions of urban wildlife populations
  • Human dimensions of urban biodiversity
  • Breeding ecology of seabirds

Current Projects

Households amongst biodiversity

  • Children's connection with nature in urban areas
  • Vegetative and invertebrate diversity in private gardens
  • Householder knowledge and attitudes towards biodiversity in their own gardens
  • Hunting behaviour of domestic cats
  • Resource use by native and exotic birds in urban forest fragments
  • Fine-scale classification of biodiversity values of urban spaces
  • Movements and habitat use of urban possums using GPS technology
  • Tourism impacts on little penguins
  • Life-time reproductive success  in yellow-eyed penguins
  • Diet of little penguins using stable isotopes
  • Resource selection by Peripatus across the urban landscape

Current and Recent Postgraduate Students

Avian community in suburbia

  • Emily Gray, "Seasonal resource use by native and exotic birds in mixed native/exotic urban forest fragments"
  • Cayley Coughlin, "Instrumentation effects and the use of tri-axial accelerometers to detect hunting behaviour in domestic cats".
  • Kate Hand, "Children's independent use of space in their neighbourhoods: do children access bio-diverse areas in proportion to their availability?"
  • Sara Larcombe, "Impacts of visitor disturbance on breeding little penguin".
  • Sam Haultain, "Maximising the conservation potential of the captive Otago skink (Oligosoma otagense) population".
  • Amy Adams, "Spatial ecology and genetic population structure of the common brushtail possum within a NZ urban environment"
  • Ed Waite, "Specimen trees as ecological keystone structures in the urban landscape".
  • Dan Barrett, "Multiple-scale resource selection of an undescribed urban invertebrate (Onychophora: Peripatopsidae) in Dunedin, New Zealand".
  • Aviva Stein, "Lifetime reproductive success in yellow-eyed penguins: influence of life-history parameters and investigator disturbance"
  • Scott Flemming, "Little penguin diet composition at three colonies: can stable isotope analysis be used to detect dietary trends?"
  • Kat Manno, "Physical environmental influences on breeding performance of the fairy prion"..
  • Mel Young, "Marine-based stochasticity and the impact upon Yellow-eyed penguins on mainland New Zealand; does it drive annual regional productivity?"

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Publications

Freeman, C., Waters, D. L., Buttery, Y., & van Heezik, Y. (2019). The impacts of ageing on connection to nature: The varied responses of older adults. Health & Place, 56, 24-33. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.01.010

Muralidhar, A., Moore, F. L., Easton, L. J., Jamieson, I. G., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2019). Know your enemy? Conservation management causes loss of antipredator behaviour to novel predators in New Zealand robins. Animal Behaviour, 149, 135-142. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.014

Freeman, C., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). Children, nature and cities: Rethinking the connections. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 318p.

Hand, K. L., Freeman, C., Seddon, P. J., Recio, M. R., Stein, A., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). Restricted home ranges reduce children’s opportunities to connect to nature: Demographic, environmental and parental influences. Landscape & Urban Planning, 172, 69-77. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.12.004

Bryan, S. A., Vink, C. J., Barratt, B. I. P., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). Investigation of two new putative pheromone components of the invasive Australian redback spider, Latrodectus hasseltii, with potential applications for control. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/03014223.2018.1536067

Authored Book - Research

Freeman, C., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). Children, nature and cities: Rethinking the connections. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 318p.

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Chapter in Book - Research

van Heezik, Y., & Seddon, P. J. (2017). Counting birds in urban areas: A review of methods for the estimation of abundance. In E. Murgui & M. Hedblom (Eds.), Ecology and conservation of birds in urban environments. (pp. 185-207). Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-43314-1_10

Seddon, P. J., Ellenburg, U., & van Heezik, Y. (2013). Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes). In P. Garcia Borboroglu & P. D. Boersma (Eds.), Penguins: Natural history and conservation. (pp. 91-110). Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press.

Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2013). Reintroductions to “ratchet up” public perceptions of biodiversity: Reversing the extinction of experience through animal restorations. In M. Bekoff (Ed.), Ignoring nature no more: The case for compassionate conservation. (pp. 137-151). University of Chicago Press.

Seddon, P. J., Judas, J., Maloney, R. F., Combreau, O., & van Heezik, Y. (2000). The re-introduction of houbara bustards in the Kingsom of Saudi Arabia. In P. Soorae & P. J. Seddon (Eds.), Re-introduction news: Special bird issue. No 19. (pp. 22-24). IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group.

Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (1999). Counting Houbara bustards in northern Saudi Arabia: An assessment of methods. In Counting Houbara bustards. (pp. 18-24). Abu Dhabi: IUCN/SSC/Birdlife Working Group on the Houbara Bustard.

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Journal - Research Article

Freeman, C., Waters, D. L., Buttery, Y., & van Heezik, Y. (2019). The impacts of ageing on connection to nature: The varied responses of older adults. Health & Place, 56, 24-33. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.01.010

Muralidhar, A., Moore, F. L., Easton, L. J., Jamieson, I. G., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2019). Know your enemy? Conservation management causes loss of antipredator behaviour to novel predators in New Zealand robins. Animal Behaviour, 149, 135-142. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.014

Hand, K. L., Freeman, C., Seddon, P. J., Recio, M. R., Stein, A., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). Restricted home ranges reduce children’s opportunities to connect to nature: Demographic, environmental and parental influences. Landscape & Urban Planning, 172, 69-77. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.12.004

Bryan, S. A., Vink, C. J., Barratt, B. I. P., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). Investigation of two new putative pheromone components of the invasive Australian redback spider, Latrodectus hasseltii, with potential applications for control. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/03014223.2018.1536067

Freeman, C., Stein, A., Hand, K., & van Heezik, Y. (2018). City children’s nature knowledge and contact: It is not just about biodiversity provision. Environment & Behavior, 50(10), 1145-1171. doi: 10.1177/0013916517732108

Mattern, T., McPherson, M. D., Ellenberg, U., van Heezik, Y., & Seddon, P. J. (2018). High definition video loggers provide new insights into behaviour, physiology, and the oceanic habitat of a marine predator, the yellow-eyed penguin. PeerJ, 6, e5459. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5459

van Heezik, Y., Freeman, C., Buttery, Y., & Waters, D. L. (2018). Factors affecting the extent and quality of nature engagement of older adults living in a range of home types. Environment & Behavior. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0013916518821148

Freeman, C., van Heezik, Y., Dickinson, K., Buttery, Y., Barratt, B., & Waters, D. (2018). Cities: Open space planning for the benefit of both people and native species: Understanding urban biodiversity and highlighting their relevance for planning and planners. Planning Quarterly, 211, 10-17.

Hand, K. L., Freeman, C., Seddon, P. J., Recio, M. R., Stein, A., & van Heezik, Y. (2017). The importance of urban gardens in supporting children's biophilia. PNAS, 114(2), 274-279. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1609588114

Stein, A., Young, M. J., Seddon, P. J., Darby, J. T., & van Heezik, Y. (2017). Investigator disturbance does not reduce annual breeding success or lifetime reproductive success in a vulnerable long-lived species, the yellow-eyed penguin. Biological Conservation, 207, 80-89. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.01.013

Taylor, H. R., Dussex, N., & van Heezik, Y. (2017). Bridging the conservation genetics gap by identifying barriers to implementation for conservation practitioners. Global Ecology & Conservation, 10, 231-242. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.001

Spencer, J., van Heezik, Y., Seddon, P. J., & Barratt, B. I. P. (2017). Synergy between two invasive species, redback spiders and rabbits, threaten the endangered Cromwell chafer beetle. Biological Invasions, 19(5), 1379-1387. doi: 10.1007/s10530-016-1352-6

Stein, A. M., Young, M. J., Darby, J. T., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2017). Evidence for high inter-generational individual quality in yellow-eyed penguins. PeerJ, 5, e2935. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2935

Mattern, T., Meyer, S., Ellenberg, U., Houston, D. M., Darby, J. T., Young, M., van Heezik, Y., & Seddon, P. J. (2017). Quantifying climate change impacts emphasises the importance of managing regional threats in the endangered Yellow-eyed penguin. PeerJ, 5, e3727. doi: 10.7717/peerj.3272

Snep, R. P. H., Kooijmans, J. L., Kwak, R. G. M., Foppen, R. P. B., Parsons, H., Awasthy, M., … van Heezik, Y. M. (2016). Urban bird conservation: Presenting stakeholder-specific arguments for the development of bird-friendly cities. Urban Ecosystems, 19(4), 1535-1550. doi: 10.1007/s11252-015-0442-z

van Heezik, Y., Dickinson, K. J. M., Freeman, C., Porter, S., Wing, J., & Barratt, B. I. P. (2016). To what extent does vegetation composition and structure influence beetle communities and species richness in private gardens in New Zealand? Landscape & Urban Planning, 151, 79-88. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.02.013

Hand, K. L., Freeman, C., Seddon, P. J., Stein, A., & van Heezik, Y. (2016). A novel method for fine-scale biodiversity assessment and prediction across diverse urban landscapes reveals social deprivation-related inequalities in private, not public spaces. Landscape & Urban Planning, 151, 33-44. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.03.002

van Heezik, Y., & Adams, A. L. (2016). Vulnerability of native and exotic urban birds to housing densification and changing gardening and landscaping trends. Urban Ecosystems, 19(4), 1551-1563. doi: 10.1007/s11252-014-0379-7

Barrett, D., Recio, M. R., Barratt, B. I. P., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2016). Resource selection by an ancient taxon (Onychophora) in a modern urban landscape: A multi-scale analysis approach to assist in the conservation of an animal phylum. Landscape & Urban Planning, 148, 27-36. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.11.008

Freeman, C., van Heezik, Y., Stein, A., & Hand, K. (2016). Technological inroads into understanding city children's natural life-worlds. Children's Geographies, 14(2), 158-174. doi: 10.1080/14733285.2015.1126552

Hall, C. M., Adams, N. A., Bradley, J. S., Bryant, K. A., Davis, A. A., Dickman, C. R., … van Heezik, Y., … Calver, M. C. (2016). Community attitudes and practices of urban residents regarding predation by pet cats on wildlife: An international comparison. PLoS ONE, 11(4), e0151962. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151962

Goldsworthy, B., Young, M. J., Seddon, P. J., & van Heezik, Y. (2016). Stomach flushing does not affect apparent adult survival, chick hatching, or fledging success in yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes). Biological Conservation, 196, 115-123. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2016.02.009

Gray, E. R., & van Heezik, Y. (2016). Exotic trees can sustain native birds in urban woodlands. Urban Ecosystems, 19(1), 315-329. doi: 10.1007/s11252-015-0493-1

Freeman, C., van Heezik, Y., Hand, K., & Stein, A. (2015). Making cities more child- and nature-friendly: A child-focused study of nature connectedness in New Zealand cities. Children, Youth & Environments, 25(2), 176-207. doi: 10.7721/chilyoutenvi.25.2.0176

Barratt, B. I. P., Dickinson, K. J. M., Freeman, C., Porter, S., Johnstone, P. D., Wing, J., & van Heezik, Y. (2015). Biodiversity of Coleoptera and other invertebrates in urban gardens: A case study in a New Zealand city. Insect Conservation & Diversity, 8, 428-437. doi: 10.1111/icad.12120

Bryan, S. A., van Heezik, Y., Vink, C. J., Seddon, P. J., Phillips, C. B., & Barratt, B. I. P. (2015). Invasive redback spiders (Latrodectus hasseltü) threaten an endangered, endemic New Zealand beetle (Prodontria lewisii). Journal of Insect Conservation, 19(5), 1021-1027. doi: 10.1007/s10841-015-9818-x

Adams, A. L., Recio, M. R., Robertson, B. C., Dickinson, K. J. M., & van Heezik, Y. (2014). Understanding home range behaviour and resource selection of invasive common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in urban environments. Biological Invasions, 16(9), 1791-1804. doi: 10.1007/s10530-013-0627-4

Adams, A. L., van Heezik, Y., Dickinson, K. J. M., & Robertson, B. C. (2014). Identifying eradication units in an invasive mammalian pest species. Biological Invasions, 16(7), 1481-1496. doi: 10.1007/s10530-013-0586-9

Flemming, S. A., & van Heezik, Y. (2014). Stable isotope analysis as a tool to monitor dietary trends in little penguins Eudyptula minor. Austral Ecology, 39(6), 656-667. doi: 10.1111/aec.12128

Coughlin, C. E., & van Heezik, Y. (2014). Weighed down by science: Do collar-mounted devices affect domestic cat behaviour and movement? Wildlife Research, 41, 606-614. doi: 10.1071/WR14160

van Heezik, Y. M., Freeman, C., Porter, S., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2014). Native and exotic woody vegetation communities in domestic gardens in relation to social and environmental factors. Ecology & Society, 19(4), 17. doi: 10.5751/ES-06978-190417

Manno, K., Loh, G., & van Heezik, Y. (2014). Buffering against food availability? The physical environment has little influence on breeding performance of fairy prions (Pachyptila turtur). Austral Ecology, 39(5), 548-559. doi: 10.1111/aec.12115

Adams, A. L., Dickinson, K. J. M., Robertson, B. C., & van Heezik, Y. (2013). Predicting summer site occupancy for an invasive species, the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), in an urban environment. PLoS ONE, 8(3), e58422. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058422

Mattern, T., Ellenberg, U., Houston, D. M., Lamare, M., Davis, L. S., van Heezik, Y., & Seddon, P. J. (2013). Straight line foraging in yellow-eyed penguins: New insights into cascading fisheries effects and orientation capabilities of marine predators. PLoS ONE, 8(12), e84381. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084381

van Heezik, Y., Freeman, C., Porter, S., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2013). Garden size, householder knowledge, and socio-economic status influence plant and bird diversity at the scale of individual gardens. Ecosystems, 16(8), 1442-1454. doi: 10.1007/s10021-013-9694-8

Flemming, S. A., Lalas, C., & van Heezik, Y. (2013). Little penguin (Eudyptula minor) diet at three breeding colonies in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 37(2), 199-205.

Waite, E., Closs, G. P., van Heezik, Y., & Dickinson, K. J. M. (2013). Resource availability and foraging of Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) in urban trees. Emu, 113(1), 26-32. doi: 10.1071/MU11093

Adams, A. L., Dickinson, K. J. M., Robertson, B. C., & van Heezik, Y. (2013). An evaluation of the accuracy and performance of lightweight GPS collars in a suburban environment. PLoS ONE, 8, e68496. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068496

Freeman, C., Dickinson, K. J. M., Porter, S., & van Heezik, Y. (2012). “My garden is an expression of me”: Exploring householders' relationships with their gardens. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32(2), 135-143. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.01.005

van Heezik, Y., & Ludwig, K. (2012). Proximity to source populations and untidy gardens predict occurrence of a small lizard in an urban area. Landscape & Urban Planning, 104(2), 253-259. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.10.016

van Heezik, Y. M., Dickinson, K. J. M., & Freeman, C. (2012). Closing the gap: Communicating to change gardening practices in support of native biodiversity in urban private gardens. Ecology & Society, 17(1), 34. doi: 10.5751/ES-04712-170134

Waite, E. M., Closs, G., Van Heezik, Y., Berry, C., & Dickinson, K. (2012). Arboreal arthropod sampling methods for urban trees. Journal of Insect Conservation, 16(6), 931-939. doi: 10.1007/s10841-012-9480-5

van Heezik, Y., & Seddon, P. J. (2012). Accounting for detectability when estimating avian abundance in an urban area. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 36(3), 391-397.

Freeman, C., Clark, R. D., & van Heezik, Y. (2011). Creating ecologically based land use and habitat maps quickly and cheaply to support conservation planning at local scales: A New Zealand example. Geographical Research, 49(1), 99-111. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-5871.2010.00683.x

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