New Zealand has successfully cleared a third of its smaller islands of invasive species. But the main islands present a much larger—and perhaps insurmountable—challenge.
A thousand years ago the islands that today form New Zealand were riotously wild. Birds, reptiles and invertebrates flourished in lush forests hundreds of miles from any other landmass. Māori settlers in the 1200s brought Polynesian rats for food, and together the humans and the rodents began to shift the ecological balance. Native species started to go extinct.
Since then, New Zealand ecologists have cleared island after island of invasive pests. About two thirds of the country’s smaller islands are now pest-free, as are 27 fenced forest fragments on the main islands . Native life surrounded by fence or sea is rebounding. And in 2016 the prime minister announced a first-of-its-kind nationwide goal: Predator-Free 2050.
Russell describes the initiative as a broad social movement. “It’s not something that the government proposed,” he says. “The government adopted something for which there was a groundswell already.” In Predator-Free 2050, the government coordinates actions by universities, nonprofits, wildlife sanctuaries, habitat-rehabilitation programs, and people with traps in their backyards.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New Zealand reports record 243 new COVID casesNew Zealand reported a record 243 new COVID-19 community cases on Saturday, as officials warned more cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant are expected but urged people in the highly vaccinated nation not to panic.
Read more »
KRH's new chief strategist makes case for a 'new' New Deal for web3With the potentially thorny political and regulatory backdrop of legitimizing crypto in law, Lehane has the credentials for the challenge.
Read more »
Koenigsegg Announces Plans To Build New Production Facility And Test Track | CarscoopsKoenigsegg Announces Plans To Build New Production Facility And Test Track | Carscoops carscoops
Read more »
A New Zealand parrot stole a GoPro and filmed its getawayA New Zealand family got an unexpected bird's eye view of a trail they had just hiked in Fiordland National Park, South Island, after a mischievous parrot stole their GoPro and took flight.
Read more »
New Zealand announces plans to reopen to the worldNew Zealand has announced it will begin reopening to the world, signaling an end to nearly two years of tough border rules that have separated families and shut out almost all foreigners.
Read more »
Cate Blanchett set to make new career move in bid to fight climate changeCate Blanchett is set to release a podcast with environmental activist Danny Kennedy on Audible which will launch in April
Read more »