Wellington – Predator Free Wellington

The Predator Free Wellington project aims to eradicate predators from Wellington, starting with Miramar Peninsula, using innovative methods and community-led approaches to restore native biodiversity and create a predator-free urban environment.¹

Case study

Tui bird © Wellington City Council

Key issues

In New Zealand, an estimated 68,000 native birds are being eaten every single night by rats, stoats, possums, and weasels. The arrival of these mammalian predators in a country that evolved for millions of years without them has had immense impacts on native species. With over 4,000 separate species currently under threat, a decision needed to be made: accept the continual loss of treasured plants and animals or take action to address the issue.

Objectives

The project aims to empower the community of Wellington City to embrace and sustain a zero-predator state in the long term. Its goal is to inspire other urban centres to address their ecological challenges at a landscape scale. The project seeks to create a natural capital city that flourishes with native wildlife, allowing for additional translocations of locally extinct fauna in the project area. The project’s objectives also include delivering a broad range of social, economic, and cultural outcomes, including equity and community resilience through participation in collective action. Additionally, the project aims to establish a community of collaboration, learning, and technical expertise to be shared.

Key strategies

The project encompasses 30,000 hectares and 70,000 households, stretching from Miramar Peninsula to the southwest corner of Mãkara and up to the boundary with Porirua City. The area has been divided into five phases, moving from east to west and then north.

Fifty-eight community trapping groups, one for every suburb in Wellington and most reserves in between, have been established. These volunteer groups have been active for years, distributing backyard traps to neighbours and contributing to a reduction in rat populations. The spillover from the Zealandia Ecosanctuary has also had a positive impact, leading to a rewilding of the area.

The strategy follows a remove-and-protect model, seeking permissions from households, businesses, and landowners to install an intensive eradication network. Thousands of permissions have been secured, and a team of 26 field staff is working to undertake the eradication operation. The latest technology and innovation are being utilised to ensure success, and monitoring will continue post-operation to prevent reinvasion.

Significant progress has been made, with 58 community trapping groups covering 8,000 hectares. The goal of creating a predator-free Wellington is within reach, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the community and project team. A thriving natural environment for native species is the ultimate objective.

Impacts

Miramar Peninsula is declared predator-free in November 2023, a milestone marking the completion of Phase 1. This achievement will be followed by Phase 2, while the Peninsula enters an ongoing biosecurity phase, ensuring the area remains predator-free. A suite of measuring and monitoring tools, including a dense camera network and predator detection dog, will be used to declare a phase predator-free.

The project has developed new methodologies for eradicating stoats, weasels, Norway rats, and ship rats in urban environments, a global first. Community-based approaches to biosecurity have been proven effective, relying on near-universal support, leadership, and participation from all sectors of society. New technologies for detecting predators have been delivered, and research projects have provided valuable insights into habitat, behavior, and target species architectures.

The project’s impacts are significant. Biodiversity is increasing, bucking the global trend, and ensuring future generations can experience native species in their natural habitats. Native birds have increased by 71 percent in abundance, with indicator species like fantails and grey warblers increasing by 550 percent and 340 percent, respectively. Invertebrates like native tree wêtã have also increased by 200 percent. The project has achieved equity in outcomes across the project area, regardless of socioeconomic and cultural background, by working at the same density everywhere. O