title: Predator-Free New Zealand: Conservation Country.
abstract: Eradications of invasive species from over 1000 small islands around the world have created conservation arks, but to truly address the threat of invasive species to islands, eradications must be scaled by orders of magnitude. New Zealand has eradicated invasive predators from 10% of its offshore island area and now proposes a vision to eliminate them from the entire country. We review current knowledge of invasive predator ecology and control technologies in New Zealand and the biological research, technological advances, social capacity and enabling policy required. We discuss the economic costs and benefits and conclude with a 50-year strategy for a predator-free New Zealand that is shown to be ecologically obtainable, socially desirable, and economically viable. The proposal includes invasive predator eradication from the two largest offshore islands, mammal-free mainland peninsulas, very large ecosanctuaries, plus thousands of small projects that will together merge eradication and control concepts on landscape scales.
authors.affiliation: James Russell ( j.russell@auckland.ac.nz ) is a senior lecturer in conservation biology at the University of Auckland, in Auckland, New Zealand, whose research focuses on island conservation and rat eradication. John Innes is a wildlife ecologist at Landcare Research, in Hamilton, New Zealand, studying pest control in urban and mainland environments, and the development of ecosanctuaries. Pike Brown is a senior economist and capability leader of the Economics and Land Use Modelling group at Landcare Research. Andrea Byrom is a wildlife ecologist and research portfolio leader for managing invasive weeds, pests, and diseases at Landcare Research in Lincoln, New Zealand.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: James Russell ( j.russell@auckland.ac.nz ) is a senior lecturer in conservation biology at the University of Auckland, in Auckland, New Zealand, whose research focuses on island conservation and rat eradication. John Innes is a wildlife ecologist at Landcare Research, in Hamilton, New Zealand, studying pest control in urban and mainland environments, and the development of ecosanctuaries. Pike Brown is a senior economist and capability leader of the Economics and Land Use Modelling group at Landcare Research. Andrea Byrom is a wildlife ecologist and research portfolio leader for managing invasive weeds, pests, and diseases at Landcare Research in Lincoln, New Zealand.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Innes
authors.affiliation: James Russell ( j.russell@auckland.ac.nz ) is a senior lecturer in conservation biology at the University of Auckland, in Auckland, New Zealand, whose research focuses on island conservation and rat eradication. John Innes is a wildlife ecologist at Landcare Research, in Hamilton, New Zealand, studying pest control in urban and mainland environments, and the development of ecosanctuaries. Pike Brown is a senior economist and capability leader of the Economics and Land Use Modelling group at Landcare Research. Andrea Byrom is a wildlife ecologist and research portfolio leader for managing invasive weeds, pests, and diseases at Landcare Research in Lincoln, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Philip H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: James Russell ( j.russell@auckland.ac.nz ) is a senior lecturer in conservation biology at the University of Auckland, in Auckland, New Zealand, whose research focuses on island conservation and rat eradication. John Innes is a wildlife ecologist at Landcare Research, in Hamilton, New Zealand, studying pest control in urban and mainland environments, and the development of ecosanctuaries. Pike Brown is a senior economist and capability leader of the Economics and Land Use Modelling group at Landcare Research. Andrea Byrom is a wildlife ecologist and research portfolio leader for managing invasive weeds, pests, and diseases at Landcare Research in Lincoln, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Andrea E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Byrom
keywords: control; eradication; invasive species; islands; policy/ethics