Kakapo Conservation Report – BiologyThe kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), a flightless parrot native exclusively to New Zealand, is currently listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List as "critically endangered". This list has really highlighted the problem of kakapo population decline and can only underline the fact that something needs to be done to save this struggling species. In this report I will review and discuss solutions to revive the struggling kakapo population. I will focus primarily on in situ conservation supplementary feeding of the kakapo, while also investigating the use of artificial insemination and captive breeding for ex situ conservation. The kakapo population has rapidly declined over the past 200 years or so since the 19th century. During this period, the Kakapo could be found inhabiting both the North, South and Stewart Islands of New Zealand, while nowadays the Kakapo can only be found on 3 small islands surrounding New Zealand. This huge population decline was certainly caused by the colonization of New Zealand, which brought with it the introduction of animals such as cats, dogs, rats and stoats. This exploration has also destroyed much of the habitat that kakapo rely on, such as the berry fruit of the rimu bush. The invasion, along with the kakapo's high infertility rates (only 58% of eggs hatch) and the fact that the kakapo breeds only once every 2-5 years, contributed to the near-extinction. The population is thought to have been around 1000 before this time period, compared to the 2012 population count of 126 Kakapo residing on the islands today. The main solution… half the paper… .ks hatched, which resulted in the elimination of the male bias and the ration returning to about 50/50. This innovation has been approved by the New Zealand Department of Conservation and is currently the main conservation solution used by the Kakapo Recovery programme. The program has continued and developed the use of supplemental feeding and has successfully introduced feeding stations throughout Codfish Island. These feeding stations are activated when a kakapo with a selected radio tag jumps onto the station (kakapo with an "underweight" category qualify for these females <1.5kg and males <2kg) and food is dropped by a dispenser for the bird. The birds can return whenever they want, as they can be easily tracked and monitored for changes in weight and health. This in situ conservation program is apparently very appropriate for kakapo conservation.