A leading academic has called for a critical review of New Zealand’s Predator Free programme, suggesting that the current focus on eliminating introduced pest predators may not be the most effective approach to safeguarding biodiversity. The insights were shared in a paper authored by Carolyn King, affiliated with the University of Waikato’s Environmental Research Institute, and published in the December issue of the New Zealand Journal of Ecology.
King argues that the Predator Free programme faces a “fundamental dilemma” stemming from a potential misunderstanding of how to address the broader challenges of biodiversity protection. She contends that the exclusive emphasis on eradicating pest predators might overshadow more intricate issues such as the loss of ecosystem structure, year-round food resources, and secure nesting habitats.
Despite the Predator Free programme’s NZ$300 million budget allocated for initiatives and research, overseen by a federal agency, King suggests that a shift in focus is needed. Her editorial, drawing from presentations made at the 2022 conferences of the New Zealand Ecological Society and the Australasian Wildlife Management Society, reflects her five decades of experience in New Zealand conservation research.
King highlights the shared concern among conservation biologists in New Zealand regarding the historical and ongoing loss of native biodiversity. However, she challenges the prevailing emphasis on predator kill rates, proposing that the right questions should revolve around preventing rapid reinvasion of cleared areas and developing an outcome-based monitoring system.
In King’s perspective, adopting control measures “from the bottom up,” such as fertility control, might prove more beneficial than traditional pest eradication methods. She points out that certain pests, like mustelids, are prolific breeders, making top-down killing programs less effective in matching their reproduction rates.
The call for a shift in focus is encapsulated in King’s assertion that the conservation community needs to transition from asking how to maximize pest killing efficiency to exploring ways to minimize the number of pests in the environment. This change in perspective, she argues, necessitates a re-examination of worldviews to determine the right questions to ask and the pertinent facts that research programs should seek to uncover.
