Image credit: Isobel (Izzy) Busby
By Isobel Busby, Alexandra Palmer, Nikki Harcourt, and Chris Jones.
New Zealand’s ‘Predator Free 2050’ (PF2050) aims to completely eradicate all rats, possums, weasels, stoats, and ferrets by the year 2050. PF2050 is unique among invasive species management (ISM) projects. While PF2050 is government-led, hundreds of community-based conservation groups support it. Although much has been said about how government and other authorities navigate the social dimensions of ISM, less attention has been given to how these community-based ISM groups navigate social challenges.
We used a survey and focus groups to understand how social considerations enter community groups’ decisions about methods for culling invasive mammals, and how groups more broadly sought to keep their communities supportive.
While survey results indicated a strong preference for using the most effective method, focus groups highlighted that what their communities find acceptable shapes their choice. Importantly, many groups felt they had to avoid using the method they thought would be most effective – toxins – for social reasons. Community groups also deployed recommended methods for building and maintaining social licence such as early and continuous rather than one-off engagement. These methods have allowed community groups to navigate complex social landscapes, and offer lessons about how future invasive species management could be done.
Relational Thinking 