| Title: | Social research on novel pest control methods |
| Provider: | Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research |
| Brief description of research: | Focus groups, co-funded by the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge and the Department of Conservation, assessing public acceptance of innovative technologies to control pest species |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $100,000 |
| Funded period: | May 2018 – June 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Social licence to operate’ guidance provided to inform future research |
| Outputs: | Manuscripts forthcoming |
| Title: | Evaluating the Papa Taiao Predator Free Secondary Schools Leadership and Awards |
| Provider: | Papa Taiao Earthcare |
| Brief description of research: | Assessing youth engagement for Predator Free 2050 in current programmes, and contributing knowledge on what works for engaging youth in conservation initiatives |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $77,800 |
| Funded period: | February 2019 – December 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Guidance on how to improve youth engagement in Predator Free 2050 |
| Outputs: | Predator Free Leadership Programme Report |
| Title: | Testing the efficacy of the Victor Professional rat trap for catching ship and Norway rats and Modified Victor stoat and rat trap for catching Norway rats |
| Provider: | Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research |
| Brief description of research: | Performing ‘NAWAC’ trap testing, for animal welfare purposes, on trap sets commonly used by community groups contributing to predator management in New Zealand (need identified by the PFNZ Trust) |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $12,000 |
| Funded period: | November 2018 – March 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Guidance on acceptable trap sets from an animal welfare perspective |
| Outputs: | Morriss G (2019) Pen testing of the kill efficacy of the Victor ® Professional rat trap and the Modified Victor stoat and rat trap for capturing ship and Norway rats. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3441 |
| Title: | Identifying key conditions for biodiversity and social outcomes from community led conservation |
| Provider: | The Catalyst Group |
| Brief description of research: | Using interviews, surveys and literature reviews to identify the social dimensions of a community conservation initiatives that achieve measurable social and environmental outcomes |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $53,000 |
| Funded period: | April 2020 - October 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | Guidance to improve investment decision-making and outcome assessment to enhance the benefits for New Zealand from community led conservation |
| Outputs: | Reports and manuscripts forthcoming |
| Title: | Landscape-Scale Research and Development to Completely Remove Possums |
| Provider: | Zero Invasive Predators |
| Brief description of research: | Developing cost-effective approaches for possum eradication at scale using aerial 1080 and preventing possum reinvasion and assessing the utility of these approaches for rat and stoat management |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $900,000 |
| Funded period: | January 2018 – June 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | Understanding whether aerial 1080 can reliably eradicate possums at scale |
| Outputs: |
Nichols M, Bell P (2019) Kea repellent for cereal bait: a captive study using anthraquinone. Zero Invasive Predators Technical Report #8
Nichols M, Bell P (2019) Tahr carcasses as an attractant over cereal bait for wild kea. Zero Invasive Predators Technical Report #9 Update on Perth River Valley work programme. Possum freedom achieved. |
| Title: | Low-cost eradication of possums from native forest |
| Provider: | Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research |
| Brief description of research: | Assessing ability to kill a high proportion (or all) of the few possum survivors of initial aerial 1080 for bovine tuberculosis eradication, and optimising detection and surveillance for proving possum eradication |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $600,000 |
| Funded period: | April 2018 – June 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | Understanding whether aerial 1080 can reliably eradicate possums at scale |
| Outputs: | Nugent G et al. (2020) Dual 1080 bait switching for killing cereal-bait-shy possums. New Zealand Journal of Ecology. |
| Title: | Wielding knowledge of the spatial and temporal distributions of invasive small mammals across an altitudinal gradient to refine and advance mainland pest eradication strategies in the uplands of the Mackenzie Basin |
| Provider: | Te Manahuna Aoraki |
| Brief description of research: | Using a range of detection devices set across a range of altitudes to provide fine scale data on the seasonal ranges and altitudinal limits of vertebrate pests in the Upper Mackenzie Basin |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $220,000 |
| Funded period: | January 2019 – December 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | Guidance on how mountain ranges can help predator eradication strategy |
| Outputs: | Manuscripts and reports forthcoming |
| Title: | LoraWAN Repeater Software & Hardware |
| Provider: | EcoNode |
| Brief description of research: | Developing a low powered radio wide area network (LoRaWAN) repeater to allow the cost-effective communication of remote-reporting devices such as vertebrate predator traps and cameras for detection |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $62,510 |
| Funded period: | January 2019 – December 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Expanding areas of ground control for predator eradication |
| Outputs: | Predator Free 2050 Econode Report |
| Title: | Thermal Camera & AI Based Predator Monitoring Tool |
| Provider: | The Cacophony Project |
| Brief description of research: | Finalising development for end-user availability of a thermal camera and supporting image recognition software for use in urban, rural and accessible backcountry for proven predator detection capability |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $100,000 |
| Funded period: | January 2019 – September 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Cost-effective detection sensitivity for predator eradication |
| Outputs: | PF2050 Limited - Final report for thermal camera and predator identification |
| Title: | Artificial Intelligence triggered trap |
| Provider: | The Cacophony Project |
| Brief description of research: | Work through linking a thermal camera with an AI classifier to an open live capture trap, to develop electronic hardware and software that will be flexible to work with multiple trap types |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $50,000 |
| Funded period: | January 2020 – July 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | Open-source hardware and software for adapting traps to be AI-triggered |
| Outputs: | Report forthcoming |
| Title: | Eradication Science: eliminating the last survivors to achieve predator freedom |
| Provider: | Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research |
| Brief description of research: | Co-funding a large MBIE Endeavour Program, combining behavioural studies with tool development to cost-effectively eliminate the last few surviving individuals of predator control, achieving eradication |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $100,000 |
| Funded period: | January 2020 – July 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | New tools and approaches for eliminating surviving and reinvading predator individuals |
| Outputs: | Manuscripts and reports forthcoming |
| Title: | Drones for possum detection and precision baiting |
| Provider: | OSPRI |
| Brief description of research: | Providing co-funding for an OSPRI-funded project exploring the use of drones for possum detection and precision baiting |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $39,500 |
| Funded period: | May 2020 – June 2021 |
| Planned outcome: | Advice on the utility of using drones for possum detection and precision baiting, and operational guidance on application where considered of use |
| Outputs: | Report forthcoming |
| Title: | Underpinning genomic resources for invasive New Zealand rats |
| Provider: | University of Otago / CSIRO |
| Brief description of research: | Underpinning genomic resources for ship rats, and improved NZ capability |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $600,000 |
| Funded period: | January 2018 – December 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | - |
| Outputs: | - |
| Title: | Realistic population modelling of gene drive strategies for rodent control in NZ |
| Provider: | Cornell University / Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research |
| Brief description of research: | Understanding the theoretical potential of new genetic control approaches |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $343,648 |
| Funded period: | March 2018 – April 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | - |
| Outputs: | - |
| Title: | Stoat genome assembly, and landscape genetics |
| Provider: | Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research |
| Brief description of research: | Underpinning genomic resources for stoats, and stoat eradication guidance |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $43,050 |
| Funded period: | December 2018 – June 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | - |
| Outputs: | - |
| Title: | TrapNZ Collaborative 2018-19 Work Programme |
| Provider: | Groundtruth Ltd |
| Brief description of research: | Ongoing development of TrapNZ software for predator management device monitoring and reporting, including improved phone app performance, enhanced user management, and support for camera trap data |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $100,000 |
| Funded period: | July 2018 – June 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Improved data management and sharing for PF2050 initiatives |
| Outputs: | TrapNZ Collaborative 2018-19 Work Programme. Report to Predator Free 2050 Ltd |
| Title: | Quantitative decision support for eradication |
| Provider: | Manaaki Whenua |
| Brief description of research: | Open online availability of ‘TrapSim’ and ‘Proof of Absence’ software tools in user-friendly formats, with supporting documentation and training opportunities for PF2050 Ltd landscape project managers |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $100,000 |
| Funded period: | July 2019 – June 2020 |
| Planned outcome: | Improved success and efficiency of predator eradication operations |
| Outputs: | Manuscripts and online resources forthcoming |
| Title: | Biosphere Data Commons Phase One |
| Provider: | Noos Ltd |
| Brief description of research: | Seed-funding alongside the NEXT Foundation, the Biological Heritage Challenge, the Tindall Foundation and Project Crimson Charitable Trust to kick-start efforts to build a data commons for New Zealand environmental data |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $37,000 |
| Funded period: | June 2018 – October 2018 |
| Planned outcome: | Kick-starting the building of a data commons for New Zealand environmental data |
| Outputs: | With other cofunders, led to the development of Toha (https://www.toha.nz) |
| Title: | Shared data standards for predator-free relevant data |
| Provider: | Internal (consultant) |
| Brief description of research: | Constructing data standards for predator-free relevant data, initially a data standard for predator control data, through wide engagement with stakeholders and end-users via cycles of workshops, interviews and feedback |
| PF2050 Ltd funding: | $25,000 |
| Funded period: | February 2019 – September 2019 |
| Planned outcome: | Facilitating a collective approach to build a data standard for predator control data |
| Outputs: |
Predator Related Data Standard. A Predator Free 2050 Effort. Supported by: Predator Free 2050 Limited. September 2019
Summary of the full report |