Is the Predator Free 2050 goal attainable?

September 4, 2018 3:24 pm

The predator free movement builds on the collective efforts of communities, iwi, private businesses, philanthropists, scientists and government.

Successful predator eradication operations have been carried out on more than 100 offshore islands around New Zealand and inside more than a dozen fenced sanctuaries, enabling native wildlife to flourish.

Now Predator Free 2050 Limited is looking to help achieve these outcomes of areas of mainland New Zealand.

We are focussed on the job of helping build a portfolio of successful large landscape projects, a suite of proven enabling technologies and a funding pipeline to keep them growing.

A recent paper suggests current techniques will probably be inadequate to effect nationwide eradications and that new tools will be required.

Our research strategy and coordination of an inter-agency science collaboration process aims to address this gap.

We are also well connected with international developments in the emerging field of gene technology, with our Science Strategy Manager currently sitting on the IUCN’s Task Force on Synthetic Biology and Biodiversity Conservation.

The Task Force recently published Genetic frontiers for conservation – An assessment of synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation.

The alternative to predator freedom is to accept that much of our unique wildlife will be forever confined to offshore islands and small fenced sanctuaries.