Predator Free 2050 committed to 'professional' transition as it hands over years of work to DOC
Photo:
Supplied / Predator Free Wellington
Predator Free 2050 says it's committed to a "professional and smooth transition", as it
hands over its responsibilities to the Department of Conservation
following news of its disestablishment.
A Crown-owned company, Predator Free 2050 Limited was set up in 2016 after the government set the ambitious goal of removing mustelids, rats and possums nationwide by the year 2050.
For nearly a decade it co-funded large-scale predator elimination projects and supported science to achieve this goal by providing funding, resources and expertise to predator removal projects around New Zealand.
But its disestablishment was announced on Budget Day last month, and science director Dan Tompkins said the company would be handing over its 18 active contracts by mid-August.
"We'll take our time, we want to make sure that nothing is lost, we're ensuring all our learnings and understanding and insights into the way we have been running to achieve the advances that we've made to date [are passed on]."
It was yet to be decided whether jobs at Predator Free 2050 Limited would go, or be amalgamated into DOC.
He said the company's disestablishment had "not really" come as a surprise. "We've been working for seven to eight years now, and what we've been doing is we've been building a national mission.
"I think our work, alongside that of DOC and the PFNZ Trust, has been really successful. We've shown it can be done, we've developed lots of new tools available for the job, we've got some good research coming along in the background for future tools to make it even more achievable."
Did Tompkins have faith that the predator-free-by-2050 goal was achievable? "Completely," he said. "Already I think it's totally achievable - it's just
whether we can afford it
."
Chief executive Rob Forlong said many projects had proven eradication was achievable, and lately it had been focussing on how to make them cheaper, through new tools and solutions that could be scaled up.
"We're committed to delivering a professional and smooth transition of contractual responsibilities to the Department of Conservation. This includes sharing proven strategies, roadmaps and insights."
Predator Free 2050 chief executive Rob Forlong.
Photo:
Susan Botting / LDR
DOC's deputy director-general for public affairs, Sia Aston, said the agency was committed to honouring all existing contracts.
It already had a large existing programme of predator-free work and would "absorb the cost of managing the company's projects and contracts within its baseline".
The remaining Crown funds of $2.3 million that PF2050 Ltd was allocated would be transferred to DOC and continue to be invested in predator free projects and contracts to avoid disruption.
DOC is
currently consulting
with the public on its predator free strategy, with submissions closing on 30 June.
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