Modelling the distribution of stoats on New Zealand offshore islands
Establishing the factors that correlate with the distribution of invasive species on islands provides a means of evaluating invasion potential and pathways, and enables the invasion risk for specific areas to be predicted. These island risk profiles then provide a basis for conservation managers to prioritise conservation areas, and to create appropriate monitoring regimes. In New Zealand, stoats (Mustela erminea) are invasive predators responsible for numerous local extinctions of birds, and they present a significant invasion risk for offshore islands.