Today kākāpō breed on three remote islands, each bird wears a transmitter and they are carefully monitored and minded. But the ultimate goal of the kākāpō recovery programme is to restore the mauri of the kākāpō – to have them back in our forests as wild, nameless birds. What are the steps to get there, and how can science help keep kākāpō safe through this transition?

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• Kākāpō need new habitat, could fenced ecosanctuaries be an option? That’s why kākāpō were released into Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in July 2023, to start a trial of how they would do in this new, mainland, North Island habitat. A year later, there had already been a lot of lessons learned.
• One of the possible future habitats mentioned by Deirdre Vercoe is South Westland, where a massive effort is underway to clear stoats, possums and rats from a huge area.
• For all the details about this record-breaking breeding season, listen to the Kākāpō Files podcast.

Guests:

• Deirdre Vercoe, Kākāpō and Takahē recovery programme operations manager, Department of Conservation
• Dr Andrew Digby, Kākāpō and Takahē recovery programme science and technical advisor, Department of Conservation

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details