The vital role the built environment must play to achieve a predator free Aotearoa
Predator Free 2050 is an ambitious and necessary project to rid our beautiful country of rats, stoats, and possums. These pests came from other countries and wipeout millions of New Zealand birds and other wildlife every year, putting many species unique to Aotearoa at risk of disappearing forever.
Lots of people like scientists, government officials, iwi and hapū, local communities, and everyday folks who care about Aotearoa are doing great mahi. They are trapping pests, planting native trees, and coming up with new ways to control or remove these predators.
But there’s one key area where we need to do more. One area which, if we do not tackle now, will mean we’ll never succeed in a predator free Aotearoa: our built environment.
Lots of New Zealanders, when they consider the predator free project, think of trapping non-native pests out in the bush, or catching a stoat on an uninhabited island, far away from our urban centres.
But rats and other pests can and do thrive in our towns and cities. And if they are not dealt with, the goal of a predator free Aotearoa will never be achieved.
Without facilities managers, our birds and wildlife will never be predator free. That’s why we’re going to be doing more work on this, with you.
Watch this space, and in the meantime check out these two presentations from Tim Exton. Tim’s a qualified facilities manager who now works with the Predator Free 2050 team.
