13 Jan 2019

Killing for conservation: the scientific and ethical challenges of predator eradication

From Featured Audio, 4:06 pm on 13 January 2019

With a panel of leading scholars, Kim Hill explores thorny questions, such as – what constitutes an invasive species? What are the best tools for the task? And is it possible to kill with kindness?

“Stoat swimming”
Stoats pose significant threats as predators of native wildlife. 
(Photo: Peter Morrin).

Photo: Peter Morrin

Recorded by RNZ at the Society for Conservation Biology’s 2018 conference in Wellington.

Participants: BioHeritage Project Leader Dr Edy Macdonald, Professor Doug Armstrong, Dr Cilla Wehi and Professor James Maclaurin. (All four sit on the BioHeritage Bioethics Panel).

Zealandia sanctuary in Wellington is surrounded by a predator-proof fence.

Photo: Hayley May