QEII National Trust supports predator free NZ project

9 November 2015

Media release

QEII National Trust supports predator free NZ project

QEII National Trust and Predator Free NZ Trust (PFNZ) are working together to raise awareness about the importance of predator control in our environment.
PFNZ wants to significantly reduce New Zealand's predator populations of rats, possums, stoats, and ferrets.

In working towards this goal PFNZ has created an online interactive map of New Zealand that will help identify where predators are being actively managed. The map has already had input from a number of agencies including DOC, OSPRI (formerly Animal Health Board/TB Free NZ) and regional councils. PFNZ would also like to show the work being done by private landowners, hapu, and local community groups.

Rebecca Bell, PFNZ manager, says the mapping project aims to get a national picture of what sort of predator control work is going on where.

'The information gathered will help us facilitate and encourage ways we can all work together on predator control to better protect our native species,' she says.

National Trust representative, Kerri Lukis, says the National Trust jumped at the chance to support the project.

'Reducing New Zealand's predator problem is a massive job and no one agency can do it alone. We all need to get involved to help achieve this ambitious goal.

'The National Trust is encouraging covenantors to take part. The predator work they do often goes under the radar, so we are excited at the opportunity to have their contribution literally put on the map!' she says.

National Trust covenantors with email addresses will receive an invitation to take part in the mapping project. All other covenantors and anyone else interested in taking part in the predator mapping project can do so by going to www.predatorfreenz.org.

ENDS

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