‘Predator Free plan won’t work’

New Zealand cannot save the kiwi, kereru¯ and thousands of other endangered species without gene editing, say experts.

And attempting to do so without the technology is likely to cost the country ‘‘a significant proportion of our national budget’’.

New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis has been addressed by a new national Predator Free 2050 plan.

But a number of academics and researchers claim it wrongly rejects the ‘‘most promising’’ new technology in pest management – gene editing.

‘‘Under current technology, achieving the Predator Free 2050 goals would not only be unlikely to succeed, but also extremely expensive, costing us a significant proportion of our national budget,’’ says University of Otago professor of philosophy and politics Lisa Ellis.

‘‘Of all technologies on the horizon today, only gene editing offers the prospect affordable and

More than 4000 native New Zealand plants and animals are at risk of extinction.

Ellis says without attention to other factors, such as habitat loss, the ultimate goal of restoring native species will not succeed.

The new strategy identifies investment, collaboration and planning as essential – but does not acknowledge the former facts, she says.

University of potentially effective eradication.’’ of

Auckland environment and George Mason Centre research fellow Dr Brendon Blue says a significant challenge will be getting people to genuinely want a predator free New Zealand.

‘‘It requires a willingness to build trust by genuinely listening to people’s values, questions and concerns, rather than using psychological tricks to persuade them to care.

‘‘For example, killing predators is unlikely to be a high priority for the substantial numbers of New Zealanders who are living below the poverty line.’’