Effects of public perceptions and global market strategy on the development of biological control technology in New Zealand

Abstract

Abstract This paper outlines some of the challenges New Zealand faces in trying to ensure that our efforts to control vertebrate pests are acceptable to society and to the affluent markets that we supply worldwide. I discuss four aspects of contemporary vertebrate pest management: the global market context within which New Zealand operates; the nature of New Zealand's vertebrate pest risks; public perceptions of pest problems; and the potential barriers that might inhibit the use of biological controls against our worst vertebrate pests, possums and rabbits.