Four Predator Free Apprentices have graduated in tandem, and the future of conservation in the region is looking brighter than ever. Mereana Hanrahan feels she’s come a long way in her apprentice journey. “My knowledge has grown in so many ways – from operating a GPS, reading the land and identifying trees and manu. At … Continue reading Four Taranaki predator free apprentices graduate
This comic is brought to you by the talented illustrator Sarah Maybe Little, explaining a study into where surging rat numbers come from during high-elevation beech masts. RELATED The vision for a predator free 2050 Study reveals surprising insights on rat behaviour in NZ forests Ranger, illustrator and bird nerd: Sarah Little How a wildlife … Continue reading Comic: solving the rat surge puzzle
Do you want some tips and tricks on increasing the effectiveness of predator control for your project or community group? Join Cam Speedy, a wildlife biologist with over 40 years of experience in predator control and ecosystem management. In the webinar, Cam shares some of his experiences to help make your predator control more effective. … Continue reading Fine tuning your predator control
Mostly we get rid of introduced predators by, well – killing predators. It works, up to a point. But if you can’t get rid of every single rat or stoat then the few survivors suddenly find themselves with ample food supplies and very little competition. They breed and they breed very successfully. Numbers climb rapidly … Continue reading Rabbit control could help us towards a predator free future
The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital treats 600 patients annually – all native species, some of which are very rare and endangered. Join us as Jordana Whyte from the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital discusses her team’s work, gives us a behind-the-scenes tour in pictures and shares stories of some memorable patients. We have over 30 webinars available across … Continue reading Nurturing our natives at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital
Thanks to funding from the Government’s Jobs for Nature Mahi mō te Taiao programme and the Provincial Growth Fund, Predator Free 2050 Limited (PF2050 Ltd) has been able to invest $11.3 million in funding for 15 companies developing predator eradication tools and ‘best practice’ for their use. The ‘Products to Projects’ initiative was launched in … Continue reading From products to projects with Predator Free 2050 Limited
On Ohinau Island, the transition from day to night tells the toanui (flesh-footed shearwaters) foraging on the water that it’s time to come home. To Predator Free Apprentice Simon Lamb, the vast number of seabirds swirling together look like a black tornado. Simon’s on the island monitoring the bird’s breeding success. What’s involved in monitoring … Continue reading Monitoring our flesh-footed shearwaters: an apprentice ecologist’s account
Dr Helen Blackie from Boffa Miskell talks about some of the latest technologies to control introduced predators in Aotearoa New Zealand — including resetting traps and cameras using artificial intelligence for species recognition. She shares tips to help improve your predator control, and address one of the trickier questions facing many involved in conservation — … Continue reading Emerging technologies for predator control and what to do about feral cats
In the middle of the night, huddled with her team on an island in the Hauraki Gulf, Predator Free Apprentice Marcia Welch sits and waits. She’s listening out for the pitter patter of webbed feet. It’s part of the regular work involved in monitoring tākoketai (black petrels) on Aotea (Great Barrier Island). Here, Marcia gives … Continue reading Monitoring the threatened black petrels of Aotea
Biz is an expert in predator control, dedicated to community-based conservation projects, so they have the skills and resources needed to achieve positive outcomes for species and habitats. Biz Bell discusses her experience of international eradication projects and local predator-free community projects across Aotearoa New Zealand. We have over 30 webinars available across a range … Continue reading Eradication — we’ve all got a role
In this talk, Dr Veale describes some of his recent work focusing on how genomics may assist us achieve our goal of controlling and potentially eradicating invasive predators from Aotearoa. Genomes contain vast quantities of information about how to make an organism, what it’s evolutionary history is, and how it’s populations interact with the environment. … Continue reading Genomics, Stoats, and Predator Free New Zealand
Did you know we have over 110 different species of native lizards, and we’re still discovering more? Carey Knox is a native lizard expert based in Central Otago. He has undertaken targeted searches for rare lizards and discovered new populations throughout New Zealand. Watch this webinar to learn more about these special creatures and what … Continue reading A land of lizards
Introduced predators (rats, mice, possums, stoats, ferrets and weasels) create havoc on farms. They eat crops, spread diseases including bovine TB and Leptospirosis, damage equipment, and harm native plants and wildlife. They also breed fast: one pregnant rat can result in 400 more rats in just six months. In this webinar, Cam Speedy, a predator … Continue reading Starter’s Guide to Predator Control on Farms
The official winner of Bird of the Year was announced this week and it’s not a bird. The pekapeka-tou-roa long-tailed bat beat all the feathered frontrunners with the highest number of votes ever and won by 3,000 votes! Ben Paris, also known as NZ Batman, has been on a mission over the past decade to … Continue reading Bird of the year is a bat — go figure!
Find out how you can make a difference and help our unique bird species in Aotearoa. In the webinar, Dan and Pat from the New Zealand Bird Atlas tell us about the Atlas project and how you can be involved. We have over 30 webinars available across a range of predator free topics. You can … Continue reading ‘Every bird sighting counts’ The NZ Bird Atlas
Nick Foster talks about his research on the movement and habitat use of hedgehogs in upland areas and how tracking hedgehogs with GPS devices has informed the 2500 ha eradication trial that is currently underway in the Te Manahuna Project area. Nick is from the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago and has … Continue reading Hedgehog control in the Mackenzie Basin
Social media expert, Liz Carlson, has shared her tips on how community groups can use social media to grow, reach new eyeballs and engage with people. Check out the webinar below on using social media to share stories and grow communities in a way that gets people talking. Liz has also kindly shared some information … Continue reading Engaging communities with social media expert Liz Carlson
Helen Blackie from Boffa Miskell explains how to use landscape features to optimize the placement of traps and monitoring tools to increase encounter rates. Helen also provides insights into new emerging tools for control, such as artificially intelligent traps and automated lure dispensers. We have over 30 webinars available across a range of predator free … Continue reading New techniques and tools for stoat and ferret control
Rod Morris, a well-known NZ wildlife photographer, film and documentary maker, shows us the many native creatures thriving in his backyard after predator control work has been done. Rod has also been involved in many conservation initiatives, including takahē recovery, searches in Fiordland for kākāpō, and rescue missions to save the Chatham Island black robin. … Continue reading If you plant it, they will come
Possums are a serious threat to our forests and native wildlife. So, what is the best strategy for controlling them? Darren Peters shares 30 years of possum management expertise. We have over 30 webinars available across a range of predator free topics. You can find them all on our YouTube page or explore different topics … Continue reading The evolution of possum control from the 90’s till now
New Zealand only has four species of native frog left – Archey’s, Hochstetter’s, Maud Island and Hamilton – and they are all teetering on the edge of extinction. Did you know they don’t have a tadpole stage or croak like other frog species? Dr Rebecca Stirnemann tells us more about them and what you can … Continue reading Protecting our tiny and precious native frogs
Cameras are used to monitor the abundance and distribution of wild animals. However, checking the images can be extremely time-consuming. Artificial intelligence can automate this process. Al Glen from Manaaki Whenua discusses using cameras and how they ‘trained’ computer models to improve accuracy. He also covers other emerging developments, such as thermal cameras and ‘smart … Continue reading Using cameras and artificial intelligence for monitoring
A number of exciting new predator control tools are currently in development and they could change predator control significantly for all of us. From long life lures to highly accurate detection devices and species specific toxins — the future is looking bright. Helen Blackie from Boffa Miskell talks about the range of tools in the … Continue reading New detection devices, lures, toxins and traps
The kākāpō has been saved from extinction by New Zealand’s longest running species conservation effort and some of the world’s most intensive conservation management. But as the population grows, its future is still uncertain. Already facing huge fertility and disease problems, there’s a new challenge: finding enough predator-free habitat for these unique birds. Dr Andrew … Continue reading Where to next for Kākāpō?
Waiheke Island has an ambition to be the world’s first predator-free urban island. There are no possums on the island, and stoat eradication is currently underway. It’s a big challenge with 9,000 permanent residents and over one million tourists every year. Mary Frankham and Paul Kviecinskas share the challenges and data complexities of this project. … Continue reading Waiheke Island — a world first?
Dan Henry has been a Miramar (Wellington) local for over 15 years and there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. In 2017, he set up Predator Free Miramar and encouraged the community to start backyard trapping. Three years later, there are over 1,400 traps in the area. They have caught a whopping 10,000 introduced predators and … Continue reading How to engage a community
Ben Paris, also known as New Zealand Batman, is a real-life conservation superhero. By day he works at Auckland Council but come night time he is NZ’s greatest champion for our only native land mammals. Ben talks about our native bats, their threats and what he’s been doing with the community in Auckland. We have … Continue reading So you want to be a bat-spotter?
Taranaki Taku Tūranga — Towards Predator Free Taranaki is an inspirational project that aims to protect and enhance the region’s precious taonga by removing rats, possums and mustelids (stoats, ferrets and weasels). The project works across a range of land types in the region, including farmland, urban land, public parks, reserves, and also connects with … Continue reading Tailoring your approach to suit the landscape
Find out how to design an effective trap network for stoats and rats. Goodnature’s Technical Expert, Sam Gibson, shares his experience, tips and tricks. Sam’s role includes going by helicopter or boat to remote areas to lay traps. He gets to trap in some of New Zealand’s most extraordinary locations, including the Hollyford Valley, Raukumara … Continue reading Tailor your trap network – project design and layout
Once introduced predators are removed from a defined area, how can they be prevented from reinvading and re-establishing a population? The use of a variety of barriers — both natural and ‘virtual’ — along with sensitive detection and response tools are all options being explored by Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP). ZIP was established to develop … Continue reading Maintaining zero predators
The AT220 self-resetting trap was one of five ‘products to projects initiatives’ that recently received funding from Predator Free 2050 Ltd. Made by NZ Autotraps, it works for rats, possums and mice. The trap self-resets up to 100 times with 6 months between services and features auto-rebaiting, daylight deactivation and night-time reactivation. It also meets … Continue reading AT220 for Possums and Rats
Cam Speedy from Wildlife Management Associates has over 40 years of experience in predator, threatened species and ecosystem management. ‘Attention-to-detail’ is Cam’s number one tip for trapping. He believes if you just ‘plonk’ trapping kit in the bush with little thought, it’s a waste of your time. Ineffective kit sitting around, catching nothing and rotting … Continue reading Expert Trapping Tips
Predator Free Wellington started out with an incredibly ambitious goal to eradicate every rat, stoat and weasel on the Miramar Peninsula. There are around 3,000 households and businesses hosting a bait station or trap on their property on the peninsula. This is an area of 1,200 ha where over 20,000 people work, live and play. … Continue reading Predator Free Wellington — Creating an Urban Environment for Nature
