Spray drones like this one - pictured in a recent trial at Molesworth Station - are already being used to spray pesticides into the nests of pine processionary, a moth that damages coniferous forests. Photo / SPS Automation
Spray drones like this one - pictured in a recent trial at Molesworth Station - are already being used to spray pesticides into the nests of pine processionary, a moth that damages coniferous forests. Photo / SPS Automation
A Government report has set out how breakthrough tech could be thrown into our ongoing war on pest predators, as just-published data finds 82 per cent of our native bird species are in serious trouble.
Solutions canvassed in a future-scoping briefing, tabled in Parliament this week, range from data-gathering drones to clever sampling tools like environmental DNA (eDNA).
While some are already being used to tackle New Zealand’s worsening biodiversity crisis, others – notably “gene drives” that could be unleashed against entire pest species – aren’t likely to be deployed here any time soon.
The report, issued by the Department of Conservation (DoC) and Land Information NZ, focused on three areas in particular: remote sensing, data-driven tech and genetic measures.
With data captured by satellites or drones, remote sensing carried the potential to monitor vast, hard-to-reach parts of our natural landscapes and target our conservation efforts more smartly.
That might include using pesticides with higher precision, mapping the effects of climate change, or sending out autonomous drones to lay bait or eliminate pests.
Such tech could be combined with sophisticated artificial intelligence platforms – as was already happening in the drone-based MAUI63 project to locate our critically-endangered Maui and Hector’s dolphins.
Going forward, we could expect AI to solve complex problems, like disentangling underwater “soundscapes” or building better models to guide pest management.
But it also showed that a similar-sized area of land wasn’t suitable for any of the measures currently in our conservation toolbox – meaning new approaches would be needed.
Meanwhile, the new report found how genetic approaches could play a greater role: be they genomic efforts like the Kākāpō125+ project to inform breeding programmes, or monitoring the health of freshwater systems with eDNA sampling.
It also discussed more contentious gene-editing tools like Crispr-Cas9, which could help build resilience in species to climate change – or induce gene drives against whole pest populations, such as through spreading genes that suppress fertility.
Pests like rats and mice are estimated to kill tens of millions of native birds in New Zealand each year. Photo / Nga Manu Images
One ongoing project by University of Otago scientists, recently awarded more funding from Predator Free 2050, was investigating specific genes that could drive reduced fitness among possums, and gradual population decline.
The report also mentioned the international Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents (GBIRd) programme, which was researching gene drives in species like mice.
“This could be a breakthrough opportunity for biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand because rodents kill an estimated 26.6 million native bird chicks and eggs each year.”
Still, deciding if, how or when these might be used would need public acceptance - not to mention global collaboration and regulatory approval.
“There is a set of complex ecological, social and cultural issues to consider and debate.”
While the Government was currently reviewing New Zealand’s gene-editing regulations, it’s so far shown little appetite for using the tech in conservation.
Similar points were noted in a 2022 stocktake prepared for DoC, which also found our current legal definition of genome editing limited the potential for research and funding.
DoC’s chief science adviser, the internationally-renowned genetics expert Professor Michael Bunce, saw the need to at least discuss the tech.
“We are not going to get to a predator-free 2050 without some new tools,” he said.
“That doesn’t mean we are on a pathway to using gene drives or gene-editing approaches, but they’ve got to be on the table to have a discussion about.”
The report was released on the same day Stats NZ published its latest data on the state of our threatened species, finding that more than three-quarters of native reptile, bird, bat and freshwater fish groups are threatened with extinction, or at risk of becoming so.
That included 94 per cent of our reptile species, 82 per cent of bird species, 80 per cent of bat species, 76 per cent of freshwater fish species and 46 per cent of vascular plant species.
