Biosecurity - Control

Once pests have become established, how can we best control or eradicate them?

Publication

Modeling CRISPR gene drives for suppression of invasive rodents using a supervised machine learning framework

Invasive rodent populations pose a threat to biodiversity across the globe. When confronted with these invaders, native species that evolved independently are often defenseless. CRISPR…
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Publication

RNA interference as a next-generation control method for suppressing Varroa destructor reproduction in honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives

Background The Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is considered to be the greatest threat to apiculture worldwide. RNA interference (RNAi) using double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) as a…
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Publication

THESIS: Treatment of environmental considerations within New Zealand’s biosecurity framework

Environmental considerations should be given equitable weight within the decision-making processes of New Zealand’s biosecurity framework. This is especially important in a time when environmental…
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Report

What is a good decision in biosecurity?

An initial review of the literature identified three perspectives in decision quality research: normative, prescriptive and descriptive. • The normative approach aims to describe how…
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Summary

BRIEF: Genetic Technologies and our environment – A public deliberation

How do you engage New Zealanders on important and complex issues, and encourage conversation, particularly around new technology advances to address environmental problems and the…
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Webinar

Data governance and sovereignty

Wānanga 6: Data governance and sovereignty. Te Tiriti-guided national DNA reference library wānanga series   Facilitators: Holden Hohaia, Ngāti Maru, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko…
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Webinar

Crazy & Ambitious 4: The need for alternative control products for varroa

Online presentation from Crazy & Ambitious 4: The need for alternative control products for varroa, with David Wiessing
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Report

Mātauranga Māori Framework for Surveillance – Issues Paper

Working with Tangata Kokiri and mana whenua, ‘an issues paper’, provides the foundation for potential impacts for mana whenua and their whanau/hapū, communities and other…
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Video

How do Scientists Understand Myrtle Rust?

Conversations with six myrtle rust experts from Scion, Plant and Food and Beyond Myrtle Rust Commissioned by Centre for Indigenous Psychologies, and He Taonga Kē…
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Media

Pests invaluable research material

Not many people welcome the discovery of wasp nests, but they are providing invaluable research material for two Dunedin students. University of Otago genetics PhD…
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Report

The use of AI (artificial intelligence) in New Zealand for the sorting of images and classification of animal pest species

This report has been commissioned by the Biological Heritage Challenge to review the current development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sorting and classifying…
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Publication

Mitonuclear interactions, mtDNA-mediated thermal plasticity and implications for the Trojan Female Technique for pest control

Here we test whether the male-sterilizing effects previously associated with the mt:Cyt-b mutation are consistent across three thermal and three nuclear genomic contexts. The effects of this…
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Publication

New Zealand shouldn’t ignore feral cats

A letter to BioScience: A publication in Nature (Owens 2017) attracted our attention recently. The article refers to the ambitious, arduous, and encouraging plan to…
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Media

‘Instruction manual’ to kauri dieback pathogen uncovered

In a world first, researchers have decoded the genome of the pathogen that causes kauri dieback. RNZ spoke to Nari Williams (Plant & Food Research).
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Video

Conservation & Restoration 2022

It’s a huge challenge to conserve and restore kauri and native plants vulnerable to myrtle rust for future generations. It requires Te Ao Māori world…
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Publication

Gene drive and RNAi technologies: a bio-cultural review of next-generation tools for pest wasp management in New Zealand

There is a global need for novel, next-generation technologies and techniques to manage pest species. We review work on potential step-changing technologies for large landscape…
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