Greg was raised mostly on the Kapiti Coast, north of Wellington, and since a child had a passion for science and biodiversity, which culminated in a PhD in ornithology from Canterbury University.
He has spent the bulk of his career working for the New Zealand Department of Conservation as a threatened wildlife biologist and then for the UN Environment Programme and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) setting up biodiversity conservation programmes focusing on their main threat – invasive species. This meant being based Apia, Samoa for about 11 years. These roles have required extensive travel throughout the Pacific. He now does consultancy work for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), SPREP, Conservation International, the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and local NGOs (e.g. Samoa Conservation Society which he helped establish). His professional focus is invasive species management, biodiversity restoration and climate change resiliency. He writes project design and review documents, leads and facilitates meetings and workshops, drafts guidelines and develops implementation plans (including budgets). Occasionally, he edits for journals and he advises officials at multi-lateral environment agreement meetings.
When not living and breathing the impact of climate change on biodiversity, Greg is enjoying his mokopuna, fly-fishing, photographing wildlife, making furniture out of recycled timber and beekeeping.
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