Editor’s note. I came across this most interesting and refreshing article on facebook.
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For more than a century, the dominant narrative in New Zealand has been that introduced species are ‘pests’ – invaders to be eradicated at all costs. Forest & Bird, DOC, and other agencies still promote this eradication mindset. Yet it is increasingly being questioned – after all, introduced species are now part of our landscapes, ecosystems, and cultures. They are not going away. It’s time to accept that, like us, they are here to stay.
As ecologist Dr. Jamie Steer put it in an RNZ interview, “These species are here, they are ours, they are part of our biodiversity.” (1) The challenge before us is not elimination, but how we live alongside them.
From waka to ships: how species first arrived
The story of introductions begins long before Europeans arrived in New Zealand. When the first waka reached these shores, Polynesian voyagers brought species central to survival and culture. The kiore (Pacific rat) and kuri (dog) provided food, companionship, and fur. Kūmara and yams offered reliable crops. Even the pūkeko, a bird we now see in wetlands across the country, was introduced at this time. (2)
Centuries later, waves of European settlers arrived with their own precious cargo. Sheep, cattle, pigs, and goats were essential for farming. Horses provided transport and labour. Deer, trout, and tahr were deliberately released for sport and hunting. Hedgehogs and rabbits followed too, some accidentally, others through acclimatisation societies who proudly stocked New Zealand with ‘home comforts’. (3)
Moving species is part of being human
The global history of people is also a history of plants and animals moving across oceans and continents. Wherever humans travel, they carry species that offer food, fibre, medicine, or companionship. Early Polynesians did it. Europeans did it. Migrants today still do it.
This movement is not a quirk of colonisation – it is human nature. And ecosystems, too, are not static. They evolve, adapt, and re-balance over time. New species appear and others less fortunate disappear. Nature is always in flux. Yet New Zealand conservation often clings to a romanticised snapshot of a pre-human landscape, as if ecosystems could be ‘reset’ to a frozen point in time.
The overlooked benefits of introduced species
Public conversations often focus on damage; yet introduced species can provide real value. Some examples of how we value these species:
Cultural connections: Deer hunting and trout fishing are part of Kiwi identity. Generations of families have bonded over hunting trips and weekends fishing on the river.
Economic lifeblood: Farming introduced animals such as sheep and cattle remain the foundation of our economy. Possum fur supports a sustainable cottage industry. Trout fishing attracts international anglers and tourism dollars, and deer provide significant economic and recreational value to local and international markets.
Ecological roles: In some cases, introduced species fill gaps. Gorse, while frustrating for farmers, acts as a natural nursery for regenerating native forests. (4) Its dense spines also provide cover for small birds against predators. Introduced birds spread seed, while rats and possums eat and help prevent troublesome wild conifer seeds from germinating. (5) (6)
Social value: Dogs, cats, horses, and even birds are our companions and working friends. Garden plants and trees shape the beauty of our towns and backyards, and mark the seasons in glorious colour.
Even so-called ‘pests’ are not always villains. In Queenstown, ferrets – long demonised – are being used to control exploding rabbit populations. (7) This experiment shows how introduced species can be part of the solution – not only problems. Using animals to help in the control of unwanted animals isn’t new. Dogs are used regularly for rat, possum, pig, and rabbit control – and many farms and rural properties have cats to manage mice and rats. Other animals were brought here with that exact purpose, albeit naively.
Possums, deer, trout, and gorse: stories of complexity
Possums: villains or a valuable resource?
Possums are heavily targeted in eradication campaigns, yet they were brought here as an economic asset. Their fur is prized for its warmth and sustainability and possum meat is highly nutritious and used in pet food. With proper population management, they need not be a symbol of destruction, but recognised for their economic and cultural value.
Deer: treasured game animals
Introduced in the 19th century, deer are now deeply embedded in our hunting culture. They are also economically significant, filling many community and family freezers and supplying the large pet food market. The Game Animal Council promotes adaptive management, such as Herds of Special Interest, enabling hunters to manage herds sustainably instead of eradicating them, and in the process contributing to biodiversity protection. (
More strategic management like this would see the deer over-population problem solved and bring other positive benefits of hunting for conservation and physical and mental wellbeing.
Trout: building tourism and recreation
Trout were deliberately introduced for sport and food. Today, they are central to freshwater recreation, sustaining a multi-million-dollar tourism sector. Anglers come from across the globe for the chance to fish New Zealand rivers.
Gorse: Nature’s unlikely ally
Gorse is notorious as a weed, but in regenerating landscapes it can play a surprising role. It protects native seedlings until they are strong enough to overtop it. Without gorse, many regenerating forests would struggle to establish. (9)
Ferrets and rabbits, rooks and grass grubs: using one ‘pest’ to fight another
The Queenstown trial of ferrets to suppress rabbit numbers highlights how management thinking is shifting. (10) It challenges the idea that species can only ever be categorised as ‘bad’. Sometimes one species can be enlisted to control another. (10) Rooks were brought to NZ to help control grass grubs. (11)
Is there a connection between rooks being all but eradicated and the now over 2 billion-dollar grass grub problem?
Why the ‘war on pests’ is failing
The language of eradication – ‘war on pests’ – is emotionally charged, but ultimately misleading. New Zealand’s long history of pest ‘wars’ has delivered repeated defeats, despite huge expense and effort. (12)
Despite decades of poison drops, trapping, and costly campaigns, most introduced species remain widespread. These efforts ignore the ecological niches many species now fill, and the social and cultural value they hold. They also risk alienating communities who see hunting, fishing, or fibre industries as part of their way of life and a positive way that they engage with the environment.
Our ecosystems today are not the same as those that existed 1,000 years ago. Nor will they be the same 100 years from now. The environments we live in are dynamic, novel, and constantly evolving – and introduced species are part of that story.
This reality is at the heart of the fight being led by Kate White, an artist and member of Flora and Fauna of Aotearoa from the Hawke’s Bay. She is challenging Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s annual poisoning of rook nests – a campaign aimed at exterminating the last few rooks left in the region. Each breeding season poison is dropped into their nests to wipe them out, yet these birds are already at the edge of extinction in New Zealand.
Kate says that DRC1339, the toxin used to kill rooks, has been found to cause “severe negative welfare impacts” and it can take up to four days for some birds to die. (13)
She says that it’s costing the rate payers more than $125K a year to run the poison programme, and there’s a huge amount of conflicting evidence around whether rooks are really a problem. She and others in the region believe there’s a serious need to pause the rook eradication and look more deeply into the issue, “as the relationship between rook activity and healthy soil has not been sufficiently studied, nor has looking overseas to see how the EU, where avicides (pesticides used on birds) are banned, manages numbers”.
Her work highlights how ‘wars on pests’ can become cruel, costly, and ethically questionable, especially when targeted at species that no longer pose a meaningful threat.
Adaptive management: towards coexistence and responsibility
Many New Zealanders believe it is misguided to pour endless resources into eradication. Instead, we should focus on management, coexistence, and responsibility. This does not mean ignoring ecological challenges – far from it. It means working with reality.
A balanced approach could include:
Adaptive management: Strategies like hunter-led management or Herds of Special Interest, which balance ecological control with recreational and cultural values.
Designated areas and sanctuaries: Spaces where game animals, trout, or other species can flourish without conflict with conservation goals.
Cultural recognition: Accepting that hunting, fishing, and companion animals are part of Kiwi culture, not threats to it.
Shared responsibility: These species are here because of human decisions. They are now ours to steward.
The key is to reframe our relationship with introduced species – away from conflict, and towards coexistence. (14)
It’s time to change the conversation
Introduced species are part of the fabric of our country. To deny their presence or to treat them only as enemies is to deny reality. As Jamie Steer noted, “They are ours as well”. (15)
It is time to retire the language of war and embrace stewardship. Our ecosystems are not fragile relics to be restored to some imagined past. They are dynamic, evolving communities – and introduced species are part of them. Most importantly, we can protect our native biodiversity without the need to eradicate these species.
This is only the beginning of the conversation. Possums, deer, trout, gorse, ferrets, and rooks are just a few examples. Countless other introduced species have shaped our landscapes, economies, and identities. The task ahead is not eradication, but balance: how to live with them, manage them wisely where needed, and accept that they are now part of what makes New Zealand unique.
References:
1 ‘Jamie Steer: introduced species’: https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/jamie-steer-introduced-species
2 ‘Story: Acclimatisation’: https://teara.govt.nz/en/acclimatisation
3 ‘Story: Acclimatisation’: https://teara.govt.nz/en/acclimatisation
4 ‘About fools and dreamers’: https://www.happenfilms.com/films/fools-and-dreamers
5 ‘New study finds rats and possums are big conifer seed eaters: https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/new-study-finds-rats-and…
6 ‘Possums and rats help stop the spread of conifers, study finds’: https://www.stuff.co.nz/…/possums-and-rats-help-stop…
7 ‘Using pests to catch pests: Ferrets enlisted in Queenstown rabbit fight’: https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/using-pests-to-catch-pests…
8 ‘Opinion: Adaptive management must be the future for NZs wild deer’: https://nzgameanimalcouncil.org.nz/opinion-adaptive…/
9 ‘About fools and dreamers’: https://www.happenfilms.com/films/fools-and-dreamers
10 ‘Using pests to catch pests: Ferrets enlisted in Queenstown rabbit fight’: https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/using-pests-to-catch-pests…
11 ‘Pasture pests cost us billions’: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/…/7DH6LHHMR6NPK263GNMLVRY3HY
12 ‘A war on pests and weeds is “malicious” and “incompetent” and will ultimately fail’: https://www.stuff.co.nz/…/a-war-on-pests-and-weeds-is…
13 ‘How humane are our pest control tools?’: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/…/4009-How-humane-are-our-pest…
14 ‘Make love, not war: Rethinking our relationship with “invasive” species’: https://ecolitbooks.com/…/make-love-not-war-rethinking…/
15 ‘Jamie Steer: introduced species’: https://www.rnz.co.nz/…/jamie-steer-introduced-species
Image: Artist Kate White “The Gathering”
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Dr William Graf came to NZ in 1958 on behalf of the State of Hawaii who were looking at introducing deer. Hawaii had heard about NZ’s “deer problem”. Dr Graf was shown about NZ escorted by departmental officers. After his visit he wrote and report in which he described NZ departments as having “an anti-exotic wild animal phobia.”
New Zealand has been under change since the first humans stepped foot in this fantastic country. Those that advocate pest destruction don’t know how much has changed since way-back. If we left it to those who want to get rid of anything introduced we may as well level all the land and make a huge playing field. I agree about Bill Graf, but Mike Mead did a poison research and got shut down, there have been many scientific reports and let us not forget Graeme Caughly in the deer wars, or Smith on the Wapiti. think on the mega millions spent on Bovine TB which goes back 50-60 years and its still sucking up the millions to where? keep up the good work.
What a wonderfully perceptive article.
It’s a newly evolved 21st century ecosystem. Forest and Bird-and DOC- need to get over their antiquated 1930s thinking espoused by amateur botanist Leonard Cockayne, Forest and Bird’s founder.
It’s a great article with documented scientific sources.
At last somebody who understands Ecology and the dynamics within modern ecosystems. Well researched and well written.
How refreshing to read an article by someone who so clearly understands the reality of New Zealand ecology today.
Great article. It should be required reading for all politicians and bureaucrats who have any connection with environmental matters.
But it won’t happen. They seem to work by dogma – someone comes up with an agenda and they just follow it. I first discovered this in the early 1990s when I became involved in public health service issues. Someone got the idea that having more bureaucrats took precedence over getting more health professionals – and we are still seeing the dire consequences of such an obviously idiotic notion.
The environment – and the health system – need intelligent political leaders to step back and look at the realities of the world in which most of us live. Or are they too immersed in whatever highly-paid career path they are following to question the dogma that pays their large salaries?
New Zealand’s pre-human biodiversity is long gone.
Our biodiversity is evolving all the time.
Humans have had a radical impact.
We’ve replaced NZ’s original biodiversity with the modern one we have today.
It’s a mixture of indigenous and introduced species.
If we want to go back to what was here before humans came .. well, we can’t.
Not unless we vacate ourselves .. and take everything we’ve introduced with us.
Mother Nature could then set about restoring the damage.
The worst introduction for environmental impact .. is the more than five million humans.
Next, the animals we farm.
Wild, introduced species are a distant third on the list.
They’re not leaving .. unless we do.
They’re are of course those who would have it differently.
But they’re pipe dreamers.
Of the established, target pest species we’ve tried to eradicate .. we’ve been singularly unsuccessful.
A senior Landcare Research Team Leader estimated the cost of eradication at between $200,000 and $400,000 per hectare. Even taking the lower figure .. that’s $1.6 trillion for the 8,000,000 hectares of conservation estate alone.
And actually .. that’s would be the easy bit.
Nature is pretty good at sorting itself out human intervention only stuffs it up.
As a child growing up in the 1940, I look back now and realize we had a better understanding of nature then. Now fast forward, we have more people, and more want to change things. We have what has been handed down to us, and no matter what we do, nothing is going to change the way we live. We have to make the most of what we have and utilize the introduced species where possible, rather than focusing on poison or trying to do what some think is needed, always to the detriment. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel; it works, so don’t try and fix it.
What a well-articulated article. Flora & Fauna is right. We’re spending a fortune on something that is inhumane, dangerous to our reputation as a country, and doomed to fail. I’m surprised other countries are still doing business with us.
Even Bruce Warburton, a scientist who has been doing pest control research for 40 years in NZ, working for the government agency Landcare Research and others, said in a BBC magazine article recently that it isn’t possible for Predator Free to be successful. He said it was a waste of time. He also said it was dangerous to use brodifacoum on the mainland … and yet everyone is using it.
We are spending billions on killing things that most of us enjoy seeing in our forests – animals that are spreading seed and providing food, and creating diversity. Animals which are actually useful. And we’re doing it in ways which are irresponsible.
Instead, we could be putting that money to things like our health system, which is falling apart.
Bruce Warburton was very protective of the image of Predator-free when he made his income through 1080 ‘science’. He could not criticise Predator free else he would lose his job. For forty years he churned out “scientific” research results which always looked positively on the use of poisons.
Predator-Free was not taken over by government to succeed but to get established as an on-going scheme which would never end and which could be passed down from father to son, as has happened with the tb-free scheme.
It’s a valid argument that humans in the 12th century and 19th century migrations are “invasive and unwanted.” The environmental damage by both self-introductions of humans has been enormous – far, far greater than any wild animals.
Therefore there is a loud ring of hypocrisy about Predator Free 2050, ZIP and for that matter DOC policies and their hate /extermination aimed campaigns. Besides extermination on mainlands never succeed. Futile and money wasting while critical areas like health are in tatters. See Kathy W’s comment.
That is not accounting for the damage to native wildlife that PF2050, ZIP and DOC do to the ecosystem and native wildlife.
Think kea for example, once so abundant a bounty was on their head by farmers/government, now since DOC and poison policies have covered vast swathes of public lands, they are endangered.
Think about it.
I couldn’t agree more with this article. The govt is never going to eradicate possums so why waste in the billions by now trying. Find as the article suggests, a use and an alternative for managing the animals.
A simple bounty offered would have every property owner in the Marlborough sounds out culling for the govt pig deer rabbit and possum if a bounty was offered on each. Numbers would be manageable in no time.
I also strongly agree that by wiping out one species you are creating a bigger problem. It only takes a decade or two for the animal to become an important part of the food chain, such as the rook and the grub.
Look at the recent paper in how well the possum helps control wilding pines by eating the seeds.
Govt and our pollies get fooled over n over again by science paid to find the science for ambitious entrepreneurs that use the fear mongering to make vast amounts of dillusional govt money
TO LONG , a bit boring and repetitive as any observant Hunter Angler, Gatherer would have observed most of it in their. bush, wildlife, apprenticeship? Written by a academic targeting wannabe greenies?? I stopped reading when it stated “””Opossums has cultural significance???”””” Frank Murphy. EX Motu.
If we are going to kill animals they should be killed humanely, and that includes pest animals: possums, rats, pigs, & deer..not with slow-acting poisons like 1080 which leaves the animals to die in excrutiating pain. Good to see Flora & Fauna speaking about animal welfare, naomi
This article presents a refreshing and pragmatic challenge to New Zealand’s entrenched eradication mindset. The central argument—that introduced species are now permanent ecological participants rather than temporary invaders—deserves serious consideration, particularly given decades of failed extermination campaigns costing billions.
The examples are compelling: possums controlling wilding pines, gorse nurseries enabling native forest regeneration, and ferrets managing rabbit overpopulation demonstrate that introduced species occupy functional ecological niches. The cultural and economic significance of deer hunting, trout fishing, and sustainable possum fur industries cannot be dismissed as mere nostalgia.
However, the humanitarian concerns about poison use, particularly slow-acting toxins like 1080 and DRC1339, warrant immediate attention. Kate White’s challenge to the rook eradication programme highlights the ethical bankruptcy of causing prolonged suffering to near-extinct populations at massive ratepayer expense.
The adaptive management approach—hunter-led control, designated areas for game animals, and abandoning the “war on pests” rhetoric—offers a more honest path forward. New Zealand’s ecosystems are already novel assemblages; pretending we can freeze them in a pre-human state is both scientifically naive and economically unsustainable. Coexistence and responsible stewardship acknowledge reality while respecting both native biodiversity and introduced species’ established roles.
The Emperor Has No Clothes: Billions Spent, Zero Results
After decades of intensive poisoning campaigns and hundreds of millions of dollars annually, New Zealand’s targeted “pest” populations remain as abundant as ever. This represents perhaps the most spectacular policy failure in our environmental history—yet the spending continues unabated.
Consider the evidence: possums, rats, stoats, deer, and other targeted species show no significant population decline despite industrial-scale 1080 drops, trapping programmes, and eradication initiatives. Bruce Warburton, who spent 40 years researching pest control for Landcare Research, admitted Predator Free 2050 cannot succeed—yet the juggernaut rolls on.
The economics are staggering. Senior Landcare researchers estimated eradication costs at $200,000-$400,000 per hectare. For conservation estate alone, that’s $1.6 trillion using the conservative figure—utterly fantastical.
Meanwhile, our health system crumbles, infrastructure decays, and genuine conservation needs go unfunded. This money could protect actual endangered species, restore wetlands, or address real environmental threats.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same actions expecting different results. We’re poisoning vast landscapes, killing native birds as collateral damage, and achieving nothing measurable against target species. It’s time for an honest audit: show us the data proving population suppression justifies this expenditure, or redirect these billions toward approaches that actually work.
New Zealand faces a cruel paradox: as food prices soar and families struggle with the cost of living crisis, we’re systematically poisoning millions of kilograms of perfectly good protein and leaving carcasses to rot in our forests.
Deer, pigs, possums, and goats provide lean, organic, free-range meat that could fill family freezers and support community food banks. Instead, our eradication policies deliberately waste this resource. Poisoned animals cannot be salvaged for consumption, and aerial 1080 operations render vast areas unsuitable for wild game harvesting.
This represents both an economic and moral failure. Venison commands premium prices internationally while families cannot afford mince. Possum meat is highly nutritious and used successfully in pet food, yet we treat these animals solely as targets for extermination rather than sustainable harvest.
The hunting community has always understood this. A single deer can provide 40-50kg of quality meat—enough to sustain a family for months. Wild pork, properly processed, offers excellent protein. Even rabbit, which fed generations during harder times, is now poisoned rather than harvested.
When children go to school hungry and food banks struggle to meet demand, our policy of poisoning wild protein sources while importing expensive meat from overseas is unconscionable. It’s time to shift from wasteful eradication to sustainable utilization that actually benefits New Zealanders.
After the first widespread poisonings on the mainland DOC monitoring centred on the level of public reaction. The small voices of objection were easily silenced. The government’s push for more poisoning stems from a desire to find the limits of endurance. Just how much poison can the environment take and how much poisoning will the people allow. Large international poison manufacturers like Bayer, Rentokil and ICI come here to take part in our ‘open’ poisoning regime. Remember the aerial spread of Foray 48B over Auckland suburbs in the early 2000’s to control Painted Apple Moth. Tens of millions of dollars into the pockets of an American manufacturer, Valent Biosciences. NZ’s safety ‘controls’ are virtually non-existent. When Connovation sought to release their sodium nitrite product they used the advertising spiel from an Australian company called Hoggone to convince ERMA/EPA to give approval. No problem.
Thank you for sharing our article Tony. It’s great to read everyone’s comments and see that so many people are awake and understand that we have to move forward in humane, ethical and sustainable ways – all these toxins and the level of extremism have taken us in the opposite direction for far too long. Kia Ora, Asha.
If people want to read the article on our website here is the link. https://floraandfaunaaotearoa.co.nz/introduced-species-are-part-of-our-biodiversity/
Millions of tonnes of top soil and other farming nasties such as ferts, chems and animal faeces run off into our seas every year – point being, there are way bigger problems than the pointless attempt to control/eliminate introduced “pest” animals. If the billions we have spent thus far attempting to do this haven’t made much impact why will billions more do much if anything?
2 RIGHT ! Bring on the Drones that would adjust the tragic heavy handed OVERUSE of all Ag / Hort Chem & Fert ! Instead of Carpet bombing everything , including us Humans ? Once dry , Ag Chem blows around in the Dust & settles on our skin ( along with breathing it in ) , coupled with U.V. Sunburn hence EXTRA Skin Cancer ? Just before Easter the Cancer Unit in Ch Ch , was full of people from the Top of the South ! the Shuttle Bus driver from the Airport asked my Wife where she came from ? She replied near Blenheim & the Driver said “Oh no , not another one ” a good indication is > all the Green Frogs in my little corner of Marlborough are “ALL GONE” & they are the Canary down the Coal Mine ? most of our Creeks are “un swimmable” according to a recent report by the Marl District Council .
Excellent article.
Most people don’t understand that predators are invariably beneficial and benefit the ecosystem. You can broadly categorise the benefits:-
Population control: Predators regulate the number of prey animals, preventing them from overpopulating and depleting their food sources.
Genetic health: By preying on the unwary, weak, old, or diseased, predators help ensure a maximum quality prey population. The result is only the healthiest individuals reproduce.
Habitat : By harvesting prey, predators can prevent overgrazing and protect habitats. Predators may also disperse seeds and nutrients from their kills, benefitting the ecosystem.
The likes of Predator Free NZ – and DOC – don’t understand Nature regulates populations and that when Man interferes like mass extermination methods witrh aerial poison, giant ripple effects occure.
For instance removal of rats, at first results in stoats (whose main prey is rats) switching prey to birds. So the very birds, DOC seeks to protect, get targeted by stoats.
killing 90% of rats, the 10% survivors with oodles of food through less rats and less competition, set about furiously breeding.
Meanwhile rats, highly prolific and rapid breeders, increase. Eighteen months later after
poisoning, rat numbers are back to pre-poison and 3 to 4 years after poisoning, have upsurged to three times more rats compared to pre-poison levels.
Along comes DOC says “Gee there’s a rat plague” so they decide to poison again with collateral damage to birds that die from poison, e.g. morepork, kea, robins, etc and insects.
So Predator Free 2050 and Zero Invasive Predators and DOC are wasting public monies
and causing ecosystem damage.
The economic benefits are overlooked by the city dwellers but in rural communities deer, pigs and trout are a huge part of the diet. Rural communities rely of them and DOC force us to the supermarket. Alan.
Introduced species were brought in against their will and as the Acclimatization Societies records from earlier times show, many didn’t survive. As regards animals – sheep, cows, goats, horses and pigs thrived in the new environment, but wildebeest, mountain zebra and Tibetan blue sheep didn’t adapt.
A great range of plants, birds, fish, insects and animals have done very well, especially those that were introduced in huge numbers and protected eg possums, bees, mallard ducks and radiate pine. They like it here! We can’t just walk away because we introduced them.
Biodiversity doesn’t distinguish between species that originated here and the immigrants. An example of interactions in nature is mature radiate pin plantations which are home to scores of native birds, grubs, beetles, frogs, geckos, lizards, flowers, ferns, mosses and fungi.
The pre-occupation in New Zealand with natives v introduced, especially in conservation circles, makes no sense. As other commenters have stated we need to accept that our biodiversity is what we have now and let it achieve a balance with our help.
Agree with these sentiments. Introduced species are here to stay so learn to live with them.
This is an excellent article…stop killing our wildlife which is not native they are part of our ecosystem. I shared it on October 14 on Facebook.
Times really have changed , we should be treating some Introduced Species like Deer & Thar Etc. , as an asset rather than a curse , others like our Super Predators Stoats? we should just concentrate on just them alone! & get on the case , they ARE doing big long term damage, on two fronts >Number 1 Wiping out our Native Birds species by species > then No 2 > Stoats by killing our Birds are thus “stopping them” spreading Native Forest Seed. ( how do you think that huge Rata got planted down that steep Gully ? ) We need an N.Z Wide “Incentive Scheme” to destroy Stoats ASAP > Funded by Lotto ? The pay goes up as Stoat numbers DROP to keep the Trappers KEEN ! used on all non DOC Estate, this is a MODERN method of Pest Control ? nothing remotely like the failed 1950s Bounty Farm Scams . Another badly ignored asset are Possums ? their Flesh has Omega 3 & should be exported with this Free Trade Agreement N.Z. has with PRC China ?
Excellent article. Totally agree.