ecosystem restoration

Human impacts in Aotearoa New Zealand have considerably damaged native ecosystems, and conservation efforts must therefore preserve remaining ecosystems and restore degraded areas. However, restoration efforts must address several challenges including species authenticity, plant survival and seedling regeneration in the presence of exotic competition, browsing mammals, and vagaries of climate. Styx Mill Conservation Reserve (SMCR), Christchurch, contains a remnant freshwater wetland in a floodplain complex where restoration activities were initiated in 2000 under a 40-year plan.

We review the recent rise to prominence in Aotearoa New Zealand of predation-focused conservation management, critically assessing the likelihood that this will deliver outcomes consistent with national biodiversity goals. Using a review of literature describing the impacts and control of three groups of introduced mammals (wild ungulates, brushtail possums, and predators), we identify shifts in management emphasis over a century of conservation decision-making in Aotearoa.