Thread: Goodbye possums, rats and stoats

Government reveals conservation project with aim to be predator free by 2050 - National - NZ Herald News

• 25 million native birds are killed by pests a year
• $3.3 billion cost to the economy and primary sector a year
• $28 million new company to identify large pest control programmes and attract private investment

The Government has revealed what it calls the most ambitious conservation project in the world - exterminating all rats, stoats and possums in New Zealand before 2050.

These predators are now costing New Zealand's economy and primary sector $3.3 billion a year, Prime Minister John Key said this afternoon.

In response, the Government will set up a new joint venture company, Predator Free New Zealand Limited, at a cost of $28 million over four years, to identify large-scale pest eradication projects and attract private investment to boost their reach.

For every $2 put towards pest control projects by councils and the private sector, the Government will contribute another $1.