Predator Free 2050 is a plan put forth by the
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
government with the goal of eradicating all of its
mammalian
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...
introduced predators by 2050.
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Opposition to planned procedures associated with poisoning
feral cats arose in September 2018.
Joint venture company
Under the plan, the government invested NZ$28 million into a joint venture company, Predator Free 2050 Ltd, with a plan for an additional $1 added for each $2 invested by the public, third parties such as philanthropic foundations or local councils. It was later reported that they had also pledged an additional $7 million per year after the initial $28 million was provided over the first four years.
On 25 July 2017, Conservation Minister
Maggie Barry
Margaret Mary Barry (born 5 October 1959), generally known as Maggie Barry, is a New Zealand politician and former member of the House of Representatives, first elected in the 2011 general election. She is a member of the National Party, and ...
spoke about the project, calling it "the most important conservation project in the history of our country" and also said that Predator Free 2050 Ltd was planning to announce the first major project it would be funding before the end of 2017.
Goals
Aside from the stated goal of eradicating all predator species by 2050, the
Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
has outlined four interim 2025 goals:
* Suppress predators on a further 1 million hectares.
* Eradicate predators from at least 20,000 hectares without the use of fences.
* Eradicate predators from island nature reserves.
* Achieve a breakthrough science solution capable of eradicating at least one small mammal predator.
Former Prime Minister
John Key
Sir John Phillip Key (born 9 August 1961) is a New Zealand retired politician who served as the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2008 to 2016 and as Leader of the New Zealand National Party from 2006 to 2016. After resigning from bo ...
stated in mid 2016 that current technologies and methods would be insufficient for the ultimate goal of the project, and were banking on a 'new scientific breakthrough' to allow for the eradication of
possums
Possum may refer to:
Animals
* Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi
** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban a ...
,
stoats
The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...
, and
rats
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' ( pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...
.
Supporting large-scale projects
PF2050 Ltd called for expressions of interest from parties that are capable and committed to achieving the Government’s ambitious goal to rid New Zealand of possums, rats and stoats by 2050. PF2050 wishes to identify regional/local councils, communities, mana whenua, businesses, NGOs and/or other entities who have predator eradication initiatives either underway or contemplated that can contribute toward meeting its interim (2025) goals identified above. A selection of projects will enter a request-for-proposal stage with the aim of approving the first projects for PF2050 investment by mid-February 2018.
Research strategy
In November 2017, Predator Free 2050 Ltd announced their research strategy. In contrast to previous speculative commentary,
[Fan, Shelly (2 March 2017).]
Natural Selection Is About to Be Overpowered by the First-Ever Mammalian Gene Drive
. Singularity Hub. Retrieved 20 March 2017. this is the officially approved approach being taken. The strategy outlines four concurrent programmes.
‘Environment and society’ will explore New Zealand’s social and cultural views about predator eradication. ‘Eradicating the last 1%’ focusses on upgrading current predator control approaches. ‘New genetic control tools’ aims to inform New Zealanders as to the benefits and risks of new genetic technologies prior to any commitment to develop such tools for Predator Free 2050. ‘Computer modelling’ will develop shared resources that all communities and agencies contributing to Predator Free 2050 can use to design the right approach for their goals and environment.
References
{{reflist
External links
Department of Conservation Predator Free 2050 page
Predator Free 2050 Limited
Invasive species in New Zealand
Conservation projects in New Zealand