FEATURE INTERVIEW
A biologist who became infected with a passion for plants Rebecca Harcourt interviews Emma Bodley, Botanical Records & Conservation Specialist at Auckland Botanic Gardens and Convenor of BCARM (BGANZ Collections and Records Management)
A lot of the research in which Emma is involved is translated into practical advice for home gardeners. I recently caught up with Emma to find out more about herself and the research projects she oversees at Auckland Botanic Gardens.
Emma Bodley
Have you always been interested in plants? How did your career path lead you to the Auckland Botanic Gardens? I’ve always been interested in nature. I was one of those kids who went to the zoo with a clipboard and drew what I saw. I studied biology at university and just naturally fell into conservation-related projects. I did a master degree on native orchids and their pollination. My current job is the first job I got when I left uni and I’m still here seven-and-a-half years later. I guess I landed my dream job! What is your current job and what drives you? I started my role as Botanical Records & Conservation Officer when I started at the gardens. I manage our plant records database, creating accessions, updating records and verifying names. I also make the tags and labels that our visitors see in the garden. I oversee all research at the gardens, which includes planning plant trials, data analysis and report writing, facilitating external researchers to use the gardens or the plant material in our collection and working with external scientists on research projects that align with our goals. I also carry out any conservation projects, both native and non-native. This could be anything from collecting
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THE BOTANIC GARDENer | ISS 56 WINTER 2021
