The good folks at the Pomona Island Charitable Trust are doing their part of New Zealands heroic national effort to rid the entire country of predatory animal species introduced by humans.
On July 25, 2016, the New Zealand government introduced an ambitious new goal of exterminating every rat, stoat, possum and feral cat and other invasive predatory animal from the country by 2050.
Prime Minister John Key announced the formal target today, calling it the most ambitious conservation project in the world. “While once the greatest threat to our native wildlife was poaching and deforestation, it is now introduced predators,” Key said. “Rats, possums and stoats kill 25 million of our native birds every year, and prey on other native species such as lizards and, along with the rest of our environment, we must do more to protect them.”
At the heart of the policy is a new $28 million joint venture, Predator Free New Zealand Limited, which will identify large-scale pest eradication projects and attract private investment to boost their reach.
This video offers insights into the kind of effort it takes to accomplish this national goal on a local level.