Find out about the latest biosecurity research being undertaken at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research.
Due to the continued success of our virtual Biosecurity Bonanza series over the years, we returned in 2024 with the same bite-sized webinar sessions over the course of a week that covered weed biocontrol and predator control research updates from our scientists across the country.
Unanswered questions
For any questions that remained unanswered at the end of our webinars, our presenters have worked through these for you and they are available in the below document:
Unanswered questions from the live sessions
Recordings
All sessions from our 2024 Biosecurity Bonanza have been recorded and are available to watch below.
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Wallaby illegal releases – do they stay put and why do people release them?
Presented by Bruce Warburton and Geoff Kaine
Illegal releases (translocation) of introduced species around New Zealand is an ongoing problem because it can lead to an expansion of current distributions and to increases in the impact a species might have on conservation and production values. Translocations become especially problematical when a programme has been established to eradicate a species because illegal releases are difficult to locate and eliminate. Translocations can also shift funding away from core programme activities to “fighting fires”. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research in partnership with MPI (National Wallaby Eradication programme – Tipu Mātoro) looked at whether wallabies translocated to areas with no wallabies stayed at the release site or moved (i.e. is it worth investing resources into searching for them?). Concurrently, another project surveyed a range of people to identify what their motivations might be to illegally release wallabies (do they care more about establishing a hunting resource close to home than they do about the environment?).
Monitoring and prioritising management of deer and other wild animals
Presented by Graham Hickling and Markus Gronwald.
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research is contributing to the National Wild Animals Management Coordination Group, which the Department of Conservation (DOC) convenes as part of Te Ara ki Mua (a framework to guide collaborative wild ungulate management). Priorities for the group and its stakeholders include improved methods for monitoring wild animal populations, and for spatial planning of animal management. We have recently completed a review of monitoring methods for DOC’s Monitoring and Evaluation Unit. The review includes decision tools to guide selection of methods and a new ‘Toolbox’ protocol for monitoring deer and goats using motion-sensitive cameras. We are also developing a computational framework to help prioritise landscapes for ungulate management in New Zealand by considering both social and ecological values.
Don’t be shy: Understanding and targeting the survivors of pest control operations
Presented by Patrick Garvey.
Invasive predators are a serious conservation challenge in Aotearoa New Zealand. Predator control operations remove most individuals, but invariably leaves survivors that maintain predation pressure on native biodiversity. Our innovation is to switch the focus from reducing pest populations to eliminating the last surviving individuals by understanding how consistent individual differences (e.g. personality) may determine an animal’s susceptibility to control tools. We then expose survivors to sensory cues (scent, sight, sound) to identify novel lures that can help target survivors. Incorporating an understanding of control biases is vital for successful management, particularly to ensure robust eradication operations when targeting invasive predators.
Investigating the role of wildlife in emerging infectious diseases in NZ
Presented by Chris Niebuhr.
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to a variety of infectious diseases that can affect wildlife, companion and agricultural animals, and people. We are currently researching a number of diseases that incorporate a wildlife component, whether it is native species negatively affected, or introduced species contributing to spread. Here we discuss briefly a few of the ongoing research projects, many of which are collaborations with other institutions.
We will report on:
- new avian malaria infection reports in seabirds,
- preliminary results of Leptospira infection in rodent populations,
- modelling toxoplasmosis and predator-prey dynamics in feral cat and rodent populations,
- sampling hedgehogs for Salmonella,
- investigations into tick infestations at penguin nesting sites, and
- utilising gull culling to investigate bacteria spread within the landscape.
Finally, we will discuss some potential new wildlife-associated disease threats and future research directions.
TrapSim-Plus – a simple to use planning tool for control of invasive mammals
Presented by Andrew Gormley.
Controlling invasive mammals typically involves deploying traps and/or bait-stations. But how many? And for how long? And at what cost? The answer depends on a variety of factors and therefore it can be very challenging for managers to make planning decisions.
To assist in this process we have developed TrapSim Plus – a freely available online decision support tool that managers and communities can use to help explore a range of scenarios and therefore make a more informed decision as to the best option for pest management.
Case study of a cost-effective method to assess biocontrol releases: Nodding thistle
Presented by Robyn White.
Monitoring weed biocontrol programs is expensive and time consuming. We developed a cost-effective method and enlisted collaborators to assess past programs by revisiting release sites and surveying land managers. This method was applied to the nodding thistle (Carduus nutans) biocontrol program. We were able to show that nodding thistle crown weevil (Trichosirocalus horridu) and nodding thistle gall fly (Urophora solstitialis) contributed to a dramatic decrease in nodding thistle density, resulting in observable economic benefits from a decrease in herbicide use and labour costs.
An overall cost benefit analysis for weed biocontrol in New Zealand
Presented by Simon Fowler.
In 2022, NZ invested NZ$1.34 million in new operational weed biocontrol research, which is small compared with the ongoing gains from existing weed biocontrol successes of NZ$86 million/year. A market-based economic analysis of all weed biocontrol in NZ from 1926 to 2022 showed a highly positive cost-benefit ratio (155:1) for productive sector weeds, but a slightly negative return on investment for biocontrol of environmental weeds (0.88:1). We discuss challenges to monetarising benefits to biodiversity and ecosystem services, which are primary targets of environmental weed biocontrol.
Feasibility of successful biological control of paper wasps in their invaded range in New Zealand
Presented by Bob Brown.
New Zealand is currently home to three exotic species of paper wasp: Polistes chinensis antennalis, P. dominula, and P. humilis. These wasps have adverse effects on native biodiversity by preying on dozens of native species as well as being a threat to human health due to their propensity for building nests on human made structures. No viable control method is currently available for managing these wasps at a landscape scale. In this presentation, Bob will discuss why classical biological control should be considered as a viable option for large-scale control of Polistes as there are currently no natural enemies keeping their populations in check.
Chilean flame creeper biocontrol leaps forward
Presented by Ronny Groenteman.
Chilean flame creeper, a climbing vine with beautiful red flowers, has become a weed mainly in Southland, Otago and Canterbury, but also in Manawatu. A serendipitous discovery in late 2019 of a leaf beetle in the native range of Chile escalated this weed up the priority list for biocontrol. Host range testing of the beetle threw a few surprises which Ronny will share at this talk.
Current and prospective biocontrol agents against Darwin’s barberry
Presented by Chantal Probst.
Darwin's Barberry (Berberis darwinii), a flowering shrub native to southern Chile and Argentina, is an increasingly important environmental weed from central North Island to Stewart Island. In 2015, a seed weevil was introduced to New Zealand, and an application to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) will soon be initiated for the release of a rust fungus. This presentation provides an update on the existing and prospective biocontrol agents targeting Darwin’s Barberry.
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