Maukahuka – the final step in making the subantarctic islands predator free

Lyndsay, a passionate member of the National Eradication Team shares how her work on island eradications helps protect precious native animals that call Aotearoa New Zealand home.

By Nehara Pandey for the Department of Conservation

“I remember sitting there, holding this kākāpō, a critically endangered species.”

“I’d read reports from a hundred years ago, saying you could shake a tree and kākāpō would fall out. And I couldn’t help but wonder where it all went wrong.”

Lyndsay is a passionate conservationist who works in our Predator Free 2050 team. She shares how her work to eradicate introduced predators from offshore islands helps protect important native species like kākāpō.

Lyndsay started her journey at the Department of Conservation as a ranger. It was always her dream to work in the great outdoors.

In one of her early roles at DOC, Lyndsay held a kākāpō for the first time. This emotional moment drives her passion for protecting vulnerable native species to this day. The experience also opened her eyes to how vulnerable native birds are to mammalian predators and the desperate need to eradicate predators to give them a fighting chance.

Lyndsay works for DOC’s Predator Free 2050 National Eradication Team (NET).

This team includes highly skilled experts that specialise in eradicating predators from islands to protect precious native species like kākāpō.

The team helps advance the Predator Free 2050 goal by working to make all uninhabited offshore islands predator free through research, field trials, and tool innovation. For example, they research improvements to tools like camera traps and large buckets that carry bait in helicopters. They also go to far-flung islands to conduct research and trials on how to best eradicate introduced predators.

The National Eradication Team’s members are world leaders in restoring islands. The team’s technical expertise in island eradication is sought after by conservationists all over the world. The team recently supported the Cook Islands in a rat eradication on Palmerston Atoll, an operation designed to protect the environment and the local people’s health and food stores.

The team focus on eradicating predators from islands because they are one of the best places to protect vulnerable native plants and animals.

The ocean around islands is a barrier that prevents the return of pests. Keeping islands predator-free is much easier than keeping mainland areas that way. Many uninhabited islands are also important native bird habitat. These islands often haven’t been drastically changed by humans (other than with the introduction of pests).

Islands are also an excellent testing ground for research and the development of tools for eradicating predators. All the work we do on islands translates into better eradication techniques that can be used on the mainland to achieve Predator Free 2050.

The team strategically selects which offshore island eradications would have the biggest benefits for nature and people.

They visit these islands to research the practicality of a project and its likelihood of success. They also work closely with local communities to understand the social, political and environmental impacts of eradicating certain introduced pests.

The highest priority island eradication for NET is Maukahuka Auckland Island. Auckland Island is a nature reserve and world heritage site situated 465km off the southern tip of the South Island of Aotearoa. Over 500 different species of native plants and animals have been identified there and it also holds spiritual and cultural significance to Ngāi Tahu.

Lyndsay beams when describing the mesmerizing beauty she witnessed when she stepped onto the shores of Auckland Island on a recent field trip. “It’s an awe-inspiring landscape, the sheer size of everything!”

Endless fields of megaherbs as far as the eye could see, soaring albatrosses displaying their impressive wingspans, hundreds of sea lions congregating on the island. Truly a sight to behold!

Some of the rarest bird species in the world can be found on this picturesque island, including the soaring Gibson’s albatross, the elusive Auckland Island rail, and the majestic hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin).

Sadly, the presence of introduced pigs, feral cats, and mice on the main Auckland Island is harming bird populations and destroying habitats.

Over 200 years of sustained pressure from these introduced pests has led to massive losses in habitat and native wildlife.

In 2021, the team concluded three years of extensive research. They determined it was feasible to attempt pest eradication on Auckland Island. They are now working to secure the investment required to deliver this project.

“What really excites me is the scale of change that’s possible if we eradicate pests from Auckland Island. If you look at [neighbouring predator free] Enderby Island for example, the recovery has been fantastic.”

Lyndsay believes that the project is a crucial step towards achieving the Predator Free 2050 goal. It would help trial innovative tools and technologies leading to more efficient methods for making the mainland predator free.

She encourages all New Zealanders to advocate for protecting nature in our backyards and all the way to Aotearoa New Zealand’s wild subantarctic islands – like Auckland Island.

With communities, iwi, scientists, innovators, conservation organisations, and philanthropists rallying behind the cause, we have an amazing opportunity. A chance to create an Aotearoa New Zealand that is thriving with native plants and animals. With Predator Free 2050, kākāpō could once again come tumbling out of trees.