Paul (Scratch) Jansen who has contributed to conservation through New Zealand Wildlife Service and Department of Conservation (DOC) roles since 1979, most recently in senior advisory roles including advising on the Predator Free 2050 national vision has been awarded the ONZM in the King’s Birthday Honours.
To protect declining kōkako populations in Rotorua, Mr Jansen initiated research in the 1980s to protect forest blocks from logging. His early use of motion sensor cameras identified possums preying on kōkako nests, leading to a major reassessment of the possum threat.
He developed techniques to capture and relocate kōkako to predator-free islands, with the kōkako population climbing from 200 pairs in 1999 to 2,000 in 2020. He was involved with pest removal from Mokoia Island on Lake Rotorua, working with local schools and iwi, and later translocating North Island robins, saddlebacks and brown kiwi.
Mr Jansen assisted with pest removal from Moutohora Island and reintroduction of threatened species. He was Kākāpō Recovery Group Leader for DOC from 1995 to 2006, overseeing growth in numbers from 50 towards the present population of 250. He provided innovative leadership involving intensive ‘hands-on’ manipulation of eggs, chicks, diet and disease.
He became Kiwi Recovery Group Leader in 2000, heavily involved with North Island brown kiwi being reintroduced into Wellington and the Capital Kiwi Project. Mr Jansen helped design and implement the predator-proof fence for the Cape Kidnappers Sanctuary.
To be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit: JANSEN, Mr William Paul (Scratch) – For services to wildlife conservation.