Inside the wonderful world of insects with bug man Phil Lester
On holiday in the Peruvian Amazon, Phil Lester spotted a gleaming black bullet ant, owner of the world’s most painful sting. “That was awesome,” he…
Biosecurity - Control
Once pests have become established, how can we best control or eradicate them?
Media
Media
The cutting-edge technology that could take the sting out of summer
Wasps are a plague every summer, the unwelcome harasser at your picnic or tramping rest stop. Kathryn from Radio New Zealand talks to Gemma McLaughlin,…
Publication
The potential for the use of gene drives for pest control in New Zealand: a perspective.
Genetic technologies such as gene editing and gene drive systems have recently emerged as potential tools for pest control. Gene drives, in particular, have been…
Publication
Gene drives and rodent control: response to Piaggio et al.
Piaggio et al. recently outlined the role that new synthetic biology technologies may play in addressing a myriad of issues in conservation. One area they focused on…
Publication
Invasive alien species: denialism, disagreement, definitions, and dialogue
We recently suggested in TREE that recent elements of invasion biology discourse might be categorised as cases of more general science denialism. We did not intend…
Media
Myrtle rust found on mānuka seeds
Researchers have found the plant disease myrtle rust on mānuka seeds. RNZ spoke to Robert Beresford (Plant & Food Research).
Publication
Approaches for estimating benefits and costs of interventions in plant biosecurity across invasion phases
Non-native plant pests cause billions of dollars in damages. It is critical to prevent or reduce these losses by intervening at various stages of the…
Publication
Can immune gene silencing via dsRNA feeding promote pathogenic viruses to control the globally invasive Argentine ant?
Pest control methods that can target pest species with limited environmental impacts are a conservation and economic priority. Species-specific pest control using RNA interference is…
Report
Applied research to progress and support close-to-market pest control tools and their strategic application
A review of recently developed and close-to-market-tools for pest management, and identification of the key research required to support their incremental improvement.
Presentation
Capturing forest structure with high density laser scanning – Malte Cordes
Presented as part of the Kaurilands Summit 2023, hosted by Ngā Rākau Taketake. To find out more about the Risk Assessment & Ecosystem Impacts…
Publication
Modeling Dynamic Human Behavioral Changes in Animal Disease Models: Challenges and Opportunities for Addressing Bias
Over the past several decades, infectious disease modeling has become an essential tool for creating counterfactual scenarios that allow the effectiveness of different disease control…
Publication
Conserving New Zealand’s native fauna: a review of tools being developed for the Predator Free 2050 programme
The endemic fauna of New Zealand evolved in the absence of mammalian predators and the introduction of the latter has been devastating. There have been…
Video
RNAi technology in Aotearoa New Zealand
RNAi technology could help us the Varroa mite and myrtle rust – but what would that involve? This animation was developed as part of our…
Publication
How an Indigenous community responded to the incursion and spread of myrtle rust (Austropuccinia psidii) that threatens culturally significant plant species – a case study from New Zealand
The incursion of the myrtle rust disease (Austropuccinia psidii) was officially confirmed on 3 May 2017 at a plant nursery located in Kerikeri, North Island,…
Publication
Indigenous peoples’ attitudes and social acceptability of invasive species control in New Zealand
Context In Aotearoa New Zealand, a significant threat to biodiversity, conservation efforts and Indigenous cultural identity is the unwanted introduction of invasive pests, plants and…
Publication
The tails of two invasive species: genetic responses to acute and chronic bottlenecks
Genetic diversity can affect population viability and can be reduced by both acute and chronic mechanisms. Using the history of the establishment and management of…
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