George Teariki-Mataki Mateariki, the Birdman of Atiu, has died, aged 67

George Teariki-Mataki Mateariki, the Birdman of Atiu, has died, aged 67

In small island states, conservation has often depended less on formal institutions than on vigilance: watching harbors, checking traps, noticing what does not belong. The work is repetitive, practical, and easily overlooked. It rarely comes with titles or funding cycles that last longer than a season. Yet in places where a single invasive species can erase centuries of evolution, that kind of attention determines whether a bird persists or disa…