Collective action to eradicate rats and mustelids from a large, peopled landscape: A social-ecological approach

The control or eradication of introduced mammalian predators is one of the most urgent tasks for conserving native wildlife in Aotearoa New Zealand (Elliot et al., 2010; Innes et al., 2010). Predator Free Wellington (PFW) is a collaboration between several key organisations, community groups and the wider public which seeks to eradicate mammalian predators (rats, possums and mustelids) from Wellington City to enable native biodiversity to thrive. In 2019, PFW began a large-scale eradication of rats and mustelids from the urban landscape of Miramar Peninsula; this has driven a significant reduction in the presence of predator mammals in the area. This report seeks to: 1. Harness the social and ecological learnings from this pioneering eradication effort. 2. Examine the evidence of both social and ecological outcomes resulting from the project.