New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
  • Member login
  • Join
Facebook
  • Home
  • Flora
    • Flora species
    • Vascular
    • Non Vascular
    • Plant identification
    • Fungi
    • Make your own book
    • Quiz
  • Threats
    • Exotic Plants (Weeds)
    • Pest Animals
    • Other threats
  • Ecosystems
    • Plant communities
    • Ecosystem services
    • Novel ecosystems
  • Publications
    • Plant lists
    • Botanical Society journals
    • Newsletter
    • NZPCN publications
    • Documents
  • Conservation
    • Seedbank
    • Training
    • Restoration
    • Monitoring
    • Habitat protection
    • Funding
    • Botanic gardens
  • NZPCN
    • Members
    • Council members
    • Awards
    • David Given Scholarship
    • Events
    • Shop
    • Favourite Plant
    • Join
    • News
    • Donate
    • Trilepidea newsletter
    • Why join NZPCN?
  • Contact us
  • Help
    • FAQ
    • Query
    • Glossary
  • Conservation
    • Seedbank
      • Project 2 - Alpine flora and the Forget-Me-Nots
      • Project 3 - Kowhai and its relatives
      • Project 1 - Pohutukawa, Rata and Myrtaceae
      • Project 4 - Podocarps and trees of the forest
    • Training
      • Module 1: Plant life
      • Module 2: Covenants
      • Module 3: Propagation
      • Module 4: Wetlands
      • Pilot course 2006
    • Restoration
      • Gardening
        • Being weed wise
        • Garden plants
          • Ferns
          • Climbers
          • Trees and shrubs
          • Broad-leaved herbs
          • Grass-like herbs
        • Attracting wildlife
        • Planting for lizards
          • Rules
      • Species recovery
        • Plant translocations
      • Ecological restoration
        • Case studies
          • Tavora Reserve
          • Waiwhakareke
      • Revegetation
      • Eco-sourcing
      • Find a restoration group
    • Monitoring
      • Number count
        • Number count method
        • Pros and cons of number counts
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Presence/absence surveys
        • Presence/absence survey methods
        • Pros and cons of presence/absence surveys
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Mapping spatial extent
        • Pros and cons of spatial extent mapping
        • Data analysis and interpretation
        • Spatial extent mapping methods
      • Photo points
        • Photo point guidelines
    • Habitat protection
      • Legal protection
        • Nga Whenua Rahui
        • QEII covenants
        • DOC Covenants
      • Animal pest control
      • Weed control
      • Fencing
    • Funding
    • Botanic gardens
You are here:
  1. Home
  2. Conservation
  3. Habitat protection
  4. Animal pest control

Animal pest control

Natural areas such as bush remnants, wetlands or dunes can host many mammal pests, mustelids and ungulates. These can cause significant damage to both native plants and animals. For more information see also the Animal Pests section of this website. Mammalian pests and mustelids can have a staggering impact on our natural ecosystems by:

  • Eating or damaging native plants. In some places, pest browsing of particular species can significantly change the make-up of a forest.
  • Eating the seed crop of some plants, preventing natural regeneration.
  • Eating seedlings, preventing regeneration and opening up the understorey to weed invasion.
  • Killing native birds and other native animals.
  • Destroying nesting sites and depleting food sources for native birds.

Regular control of animal pests is essential in the protection of natural areas. It is not a one-off job, so a pest control schedule will be required in any ongoing work programme. A range of animal pest control methods are used in New Zealand.

  • Poisoning, shooting or trapping – This is good as long as you avoid non-target species
  • Fencing – This excludes some animal pests and can be cost effective e.g., rabbit netting
  • Shields – This are used to deter possums or moats to reduce pest access
  • Creating less suitable conditions – This involves increasing vegetation cover and moisture which can deter rabbits
  • Biocontrol – The introduction of biological agents can be used to control specific animals such as parasitoid wasps to control wasps
  • Integrated pest management – This is a combination of all or some of the above methods often used in special areas subject to intensive pest control

For more information see:

  • Predator Traps (Department of Conservation trapping systems website)
  • Goodnature
  • Ecoworks (animal pest control)
  • Animal pest control methods training course (Department of Conservation)
▲ Back to top
  • Home
  • Flora
  • Threats
  • Ecosystems
  • Publications
  • Conservation
  • NZPCN
  • Contact us
  • Help

© 2023 New Zealand Plant Conservation Network • Website by RS

Coastlands Plant Nursery Wildlands

Website sponsor

  • Home
  • Flora
    • Flora species
    • Vascular
      • Ferns
        • King fern
        • True ferns
        • Adder's tongue ferns
        • Fork ferns and whisk ferns
        • Horsetails
      • Conifers
        • Celery pines
        • Kauri
        • Podocarps
          • Podocarpus
          • Dacrydium
          • Prumnopitys
          • Dacrycarpus
          • Halocarpus
          • Lepidothamnus
          • Manoao
        • Cypress
      • Flowering plants
        • Parasites
          • Leafy mistletoes
          • Pygmy mistletoes
            • Korthalsella hosts
            • Dispersal of Korthalsella
            • Korthalsella flowers
            • Associates of Korthalsella
          • Root parasites
          • Saprophytes
        • Epiphytes
          • NZ
            • Typical
            • Occasional
            • Hemi-epiphytes
            • Ephemeral
            • NZ list
        • Monocots
          • Orchids
            • Structure
          • Grasses
        • Dicots
          • Hebes
          • Kowhai
          • Coprosma
          • Beech
          • Rata
        • Carnivorous
        • Deciduous plants
        • Aquatic plants
      • Poisonous natives
      • Threatened plant lists
      • What's a vascular plant?
      • Club mosses
    • Non Vascular
      • Bryophytes
        • Liverworts
        • Mosses
        • Hornworts
      • Algae
        • Seaweeds
      • Lichens
    • Plant identification
      • Written descriptions
      • Experts
      • Plant keys
        • Key to parasitic plant genera
      • Collecting plants
        • Should I collect
        • Choosing a specimen
        • Field notes
        • Fresh plant material
        • Pressing and drying
        • Mounting specimens
        • Labelling specimens
    • Fungi
    • Make your own book
    • Quiz
  • Threats
    • Exotic Plants (Weeds)
      • Unwanted organisms
      • DOC weeds
      • Plant me instead
      • Pest Plant Accord
    • Pest Animals
      • Mammals
        • Mustelids
        • Rodents
        • Ungulates
        • Possums
      • Fish
      • Insects
    • Other threats
      • Natural events
        • Insects
      • Human induced
        • Habitat loss
        • Collection
        • Climate change
  • Ecosystems
    • Plant communities
      • Dunes
        • Volcanic
        • Coastal
          • Pingao research
          • What you can do
          • Common species
          • Research on dunes
          • Threats
      • Wetlands
        • Estuaries
          • Common estuarine species
          • Research on estuaries
        • Ephemeral
        • Restiad peat bogs
      • Forests
        • Kauri-podocarp-broadleaved
        • Podocarp broadleaved
        • Beech
      • Scrub/shrublands
        • Geothermal
          • Distribution of geothermal vegetation
          • Geothermal plants
          • Geothermal vegetation types
          • Threats to geothermal vegetation
        • Frost flat/hollow
        • Manuka fens
        • Gumlands
      • Grasslands
        • Tussock grasslands
      • Bare ground
        • Braided rivers
        • Alpine
        • Cliff
        • Scree and boulderfields
        • Shingle beaches
      • Herbfields
        • Saltpan
    • Ecosystem services
    • Novel ecosystems
  • Publications
    • Plant lists
      • How to prepare a plant list
      • National plant lists
      • Plant lists by region
      • Search plant lists
    • Botanical Society journals
    • Newsletter
    • NZPCN publications
    • Documents
  • Conservation
    • Seedbank
      • Project 2 - Alpine flora and the Forget-Me-Nots
      • Project 3 - Kowhai and its relatives
      • Project 1 - Pohutukawa, Rata and Myrtaceae
      • Project 4 - Podocarps and trees of the forest
    • Training
      • Module 1: Plant life
      • Module 2: Covenants
      • Module 3: Propagation
      • Module 4: Wetlands
      • Pilot course 2006
    • Restoration
      • Gardening
        • Being weed wise
        • Garden plants
          • Ferns
          • Climbers
          • Trees and shrubs
          • Broad-leaved herbs
          • Grass-like herbs
        • Attracting wildlife
        • Planting for lizards
          • Rules
      • Species recovery
        • Plant translocations
      • Ecological restoration
        • Case studies
          • Tavora Reserve
          • Waiwhakareke
      • Revegetation
      • Eco-sourcing
      • Find a restoration group
    • Monitoring
      • Number count
        • Number count method
        • Pros and cons of number counts
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Presence/absence surveys
        • Presence/absence survey methods
        • Pros and cons of presence/absence surveys
        • Data analysis and interpretation
      • Mapping spatial extent
        • Pros and cons of spatial extent mapping
        • Data analysis and interpretation
        • Spatial extent mapping methods
      • Photo points
        • Photo point guidelines
    • Habitat protection
      • Legal protection
        • Nga Whenua Rahui
        • QEII covenants
        • DOC Covenants
      • Animal pest control
      • Weed control
      • Fencing
    • Funding
    • Botanic gardens
  • NZPCN
    • Members
    • Council members
      • Council 2009
      • Council 2010
      • Council 2011
      • Council 2012
      • Council 2013
      • NZPCN council member profiles
      • Council 2003
      • Council 2004
      • Council 2005
      • Council 2006
      • Council 2007
      • Council 2008
      • Council 2014
      • Council 2015
      • Council 2016
      • Council 2017
      • Council 2018
      • Council 2019
      • Council 2020
      • Council 2021
      • Council 2022
      • Council 2023
    • Awards
      • NZPCN Awards
        • 2018
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • 2013
        • 2012
        • 2011
        • 2010
        • 2009
        • 2008
        • 2007
        • 2006
        • 2005
        • 2017
        • 2019
        • 2022
    • David Given Scholarship
      • David Given Scholarship Recipients
    • Events
      • Conference 2019
      • Conference 2017
      • Conference 2015
        • Speakers
        • Workshops
        • Field trips
        • Charity auction
      • Conference 2013
        • Speakers
        • Timetable
      • Conference 2022
        • 2022 conference field trips
        • 2022 conference workshops
        • Code of conduct
        • 2022 conference sponsors
        • COVID-19 information
        • Abstract and poster submission
        • 2022 Conference venue and accommodation
        • 2022 conference postponement
        • Conference Workshop: Restoration Pathways
        • Conference programme summary
      • 2023 Restoration Pathways Workshop
    • Shop
    • Favourite Plant
    • Join
    • News
    • Donate
    • Trilepidea newsletter
    • Why join NZPCN?
  • Contact us
  • Help
    • FAQ
      • The Network
      • Network website
      • New Zealand plants
      • The law
      • Your discoveries
      • Joining the Network
    • Query
    • Glossary