All Hands on Deck
29 July 2019
‘He waka eke noa - All hands on deck’ is the theme of this year’s Biosecurity Week.
According to the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute (NZBI), we’re all in the waka together when it comes to protecting New Zealand’s native biodiversity and primary industries from invasive species.
NZBI is the professional organisation of people involved in all aspects of biosecurity in New Zealand. Institute President, Darion Embling, says that New Zealand has some very ambitious biosecurity goals, which will need technology, innovation and plenty of people power.
“It’s vital for people to get on side and there are a number of community programmes across the country using new approaches which are having considerable success at controlling pests in backyards.”
Pest Detective is a tool used by professionals and volunteers who are engaged in vertebrate pest animal control programmes throughout the country. It provides guidance, by way of photographs and supporting information, on what clues of pest animals to look for. The ability to recognise animal sign when out in the field and understand the way pest animals behave is important when carrying out pest animal control and monitoring.
Read more about 2019 Biosecurity Week, including a useful student observation and recording sheet available for school projects.