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Where to begin?
You may have already set your traps, rodent-proofed your compost and made your garden wildlife-friendly. However, introduced predators do not care about fencing boundaries and there’s strength in numbers if you work as a team.
But how do you go about motivating your neighbours to get involved, and then coordinating your predator control efforts?
You could start by having a chat with them. Have they already got traps set up? Have they identified which predators are causing a ruckus in their yard, and which species they’re trying to protect?
Sharing any progress you’ve had in your own yard will also show them what can be achieved.
Join a local group
Check our interactive map to find a local group as there may already be a group or project happening in your neighbourhood. Local conservation groups will have area-specific knowledge and will probably offer regular meetups and/or online forums to share success stories and advice.
Start your own group
If there isn’t a group in your neighbourhood, you may want to start your own. We share tips on how to kick things off and recruit members.
Keep a record of trap counts
Are you catching anything? Have your catch numbers gone up, down or remained the same over the past few months? Keeping a record of your predator control is really important to form an idea of both predator and native behaviour in your area. There are several apps in NZ now that make it easier to keep track of your own catches and also see how others are doing in your neighbourhood. You could make it into a competition, with a prize for the most monthly catches!
Get inspired!
Read success stories from other groups and view our national map for a bigger picture of all the amazing mahi happening around NZ.
