New Zealand Leads Global Fight Against Invasive Species

New Zealand has become the world's classroom for fighting invasive species, and the lessons it's teaching are saving ecosystems around the globe.

More than 300 experts from 30 countries traveled to Auckland in February for the Island Invasives conference at the University of Auckland. They came to learn from a nation that has achieved what many thought impossible: successfully removing destructive pests from vast natural areas.

Professor James Russell, who attended the first conference as a student in 2001, returned this year as a presenter. "New Zealand leads the world in managing invasive species and continues to set its ambitions incredibly high," he said. Attendees called it the best conference they had ever experienced.

The numbers tell an impressive story. The Department of Conservation has successfully eradicated rats and mice from more than half the offshore islands they invaded. Meanwhile, Zero Invasive Predators has eliminated rats and possums from nearly 100,000 hectares in southern Westland, protecting native birds and ecosystems.

These victories matter beyond New Zealand's borders. Delegates shared how they're applying similar methods to control feral cats in the Cayman Islands and counter invasive pink salmon in Norway. Projects in the Galápagos Islands, Hawaii, and Cyprus are all benefiting from techniques pioneered in New Zealand.

The conference featured workshops on everything from pig and mouse eradication to tackling caulerpa, an invasive seaweed threatening marine ecosystems. Nicola Rata-MacDonald, chief executive of the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, presented their work protecting the Hauraki Gulf from this underwater threat.

The Ripple Effect: What started as a small conference 25 years ago has grown into a global movement. New Zealand's success proves that reversing ecological damage isn't just possible but achievable at scale. Countries that once watched invasive species destroy their native wildlife now have proven strategies to fight back. The knowledge shared at this conference will protect countless ecosystems and the communities that depend on them for generations to come.

Every speaker submitted full scientific papers that will be published by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, ensuring this cutting-edge research reaches conservationists worldwide. The collaboration brings together Indigenous leaders, government agencies, and researchers who understand that protecting nature requires both traditional knowledge and modern innovation.

New Zealand's white herons, protected by traps that keep stoats and possums away from nesting sites, symbolize what's possible when communities commit to conservation.