Person

Born and raised in the Nelson Tasman area, Becs Gibson spent much of her childhood tramping and fishing with her family throughout the region.

Making the decision to study ecology was a natural progression for Becs. She graduated with a Degree in Resource Management from Lincoln University in 1996 and remained on as a tutor.

“I tutored ecology at Lincoln University and had a hand in developing educational resources for various organisations with New Zealand flora and fauna focuses,” says Becs.

Becs later worked as a tour guide throughout New Zealand and Iceland before joining the Department of Conservation, where she has spent 20 years in various roles, including pest control, community relations, and education.

“I worked for DOC in various locations around the country, including Rakiura (Stewart Island) and Aotea (Great Barrier Island), mainly in biodiversity threats and community education roles,” says Becs.

Becs joined NMIT as a conservation tutor after Trainee Ranger programme coordinator Geoff Button approached her to see if she would be interested in delivering NMIT’s conservation field skills short courses.

Becs facilitates our short courses, Weed Management(external link), 20 x 20 Permanent Plots and Reconnaissance(external link), and Foliar Browse Index(external link).

“I also coordinate with other facilitators and DOC staff to deliver the predator trapping courses throughout the country,” says Becs.

NMIT short courses on conservation field skills are regularly run throughout New Zealand. With a hands-on focus, they provide participants with valuable practical tools to improve their projects or begin new ones.

Becs believes teaching conservation is a two-way street.

“We all learn from each other, and I love to interact with and use the outdoor environment to its full advantage where possible.”