Pest Control
For the past 150 years, the natural environment of the Marlborough Sounds has been gradually deteriorating. We have lost iconic species such as kiwi, kaka and robins from our forests, and the decline is continuing.
Introduced pests - primarily ship rats, possums and stoats - are the main culprits.
The Trust is seeking to develop sustainable, community-led solutions to pest control in the Sounds.
In 2023, the Trust undertook a feasibility study to see if it is possible to achieve predator freedom in some parts of the Sounds, as part of the Predator Free 2050 mission.
In 2020, the Trust began to trial a landowner-funded model of pest control in the Sounds. Presently, there is one network in place - Three Peninsulas in Queen Charlotte Sound - that currently covers approx. 300ha and involves more than 60 bach-owners. It is proving a successful partnership and the Trust is looking to work with willing communities elsewhere in the Sounds to protect more peninsulas and headlands.
Annual Update (2023)
Annual Update (2024)
Where there are effective trapping solutions available, such as the AT220 trap, the Trust will promote these to Sounds landowners.
