Latest news with #eradication
Zawya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
Eritrea: Nakfa Sub-Zone Declares Free of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
As a result of a rigorous awareness campaign to eradicate harmful practices, Nakfa sub-zone has officially declared itself free of female genital mutilation (FGM). At the declaration event, Mr. Yakob Idris, administrator of the sub-zone, stated that the achievement is the result of the active and conscious participation of the public, government institutions, and national associations. He emphasized that maintaining this status is a shared responsibility. Religious leaders, noting that FGM has no connection to religious teachings, commended the initiative and called for integrated efforts and participation to ensure its sustainability. Mr. Rezene Feseha, chairman of the committee for the rights of children and women, said the declaration in Nakfa sub-zone reflects the coordinated efforts conducted at the regional level and called for continued active involvement by all. The event featured cultural and artistic performances to mark the occasion. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Almost all sika deer culled in ambitious Russell Forest eradication project
Trailcam image of a sika hind at Ngaiotonga Reserve, south of Russell. Photo: DOC Just three sika deer remain in Russell Forest a year after an ambitious eradication project began, the Northland Regional Council says. Biosecurity group manager Don McKenzie said 64 deer had been removed so far along with about 500 goats. Any recoverable meat was distributed to local communities, he said. The Russell State Forest trial was launched in May 2024 at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. It was so far ahead of schedule and under budget. Critics have said local hunters should have been used, but McKenzie said experts with specialist equipment, such as thermal imaging drones, were required given the need to locate every last deer. The council earlier told RNZ the project, if successful in Russell Forest, could be expanded to the 13 other wild deer populations around Northland. A sika hind is captured by a trailcam in Russell State Forest. Photo: DOC Those populations were scattered between Kaiwaka, near the Auckland border, and the bush behind Kaitāia airport. The council said wild deer arrived in Northland in the 1980s and 1990s as a result of illegal releases and farm escapes. Unlike other parts of New Zealand, deer were not released in Northland by the acclimatisation societies of the 19th century, which meant numbers were still low enough to make eradication possible. Russell Forest had the region's only known population of sika deer, which were smaller and more elusive than the other species found around New Zealand. Earlier, Department of Conservation senior wild animal advisor Dave Carlton told RNZ deer had no natural predators in New Zealand, so numbers could grow rapidly. He said wild deer fed on forest plants, trees and seedlings, altering forest composition, removing food for native animals, and hindering regeneration. Carlton said Northland was the ideal region to aim for deer-free status because it was bordered by the sea on two sides and Auckland city on the other. Wild Deer Free Te Tai Tokerau is a partnership between the regional council, DOC, hapū and iwi - in this case Te Kapotai, Ngāti Kuta, Patukeha, Ngatiwai and hau kainga from Ngaiotonga - and the deer farming industry. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Science
- ABC News
Fight against fire ants at tipping point
As fire ants continue their relentless march across south-east Queensland, a biological control expert from the United States warns Australia's eradication plan is under threat.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Work under way to rid meadow of notorious knotweed which can grow four inches a day
Plans to eradicate an invasive plant from a popular meadow in a village on the outskirts of the city are "fully underway", according to community leaders. Families using Greg's Meadow in Spixworth have been advised to keep their distance from part of a picnic area. A warning notice went up earlier this summer (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) It was after the discovery of Japanese knotweed, a plant native to East Asia which has spread out of control since being introduced to the UK in the 1800s. Japanese knotweed (Image: PA) An area of the picnic area on the meadow has been fenced off for the past few weeks to try and keep people away. Part of the meadow was fenced off (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Work has since started to clear the area of the invasive species. Work is underway to clear the knotweed (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Matthew Field, vice chairman of Spixworth Parish Council said: "The course of action the council agreed with a local grounds maintenance contractor is fully under way and already producing positive results and progress. Work to clear the knotweed has started (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) "Action will continue to ensure eradication of the knotweed problem." The work is taking place after warning notices appeared in the meadow earlier this year. Greg's Meadow, Spixworth (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) Japanese knotweed is identified by distinctive red stems and bamboo-like appearance. It can grow up to 8ft tall and its roots can reach as wide as 28ft. Work is underway to clear the knotweed (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest) It can grow up to four inches a day and forms dense thickets which can kill native plant species, making it particularly harmful to the flora of the Norfolk Broads. Tackling its spread costs the UK nearly £250 million a year, according to invasive plant specialists Environet, with an estimated 5pc of homes affected across the UK. It can crack tarmac, block drains, undermine foundations and invade homes. Its presence can be enough to cut a property's value or prevent a mortgage lender approving a loan.
RNZ News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
A bold dream gets a cut as Predator Free 2050 Ltd is disestablished
Critics of the plan to disestablish Predator Free 2050 Ltd are concerned about undoing progress on eradication. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon It was billed as a 'moonshot' for New Zealand's environment - a bold, world-leading goal launched by Sir John Key in 2016, aimed at eradicating rats, possums and stoats from our islands by 2050. The vision has been clear - bring back birdsong to every valley, protect the flightless kiwi, and restore what once thrived. But today, the future of Predator Free 2050 looks uncertain. Predator Free 2050 Ltd, the Crown-owned company established to drive and fund large-scale eradication and breakthrough science, is now being disestablished, as announced as part of Budget 2025. Funding for the company will cease by the end of the year, with its responsibilities shifted to the Department of Conservation (DOC) , which the government says will reduce duplication, increase efficiency and save about $12 million. "People are now worried for this programme," Newsroom environment editor David Williams tells The Detail . "They say without ongoing funding, we will not only not go forward, but we will go backwards. This programme needs funding , and that's up to the government." The government insists the broader goal of predator eradication remains. But Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, chief executive of WWF New Zealand, is not entirely convinced. "New Zealanders believe in the Predator Free 2050 dream, and we want the government to get behind them too. But I'm not sure this will happen. "I've not been seeing a lot of enthusiasm for environmental outcomes from this government, full stop. We describe the government's policy agenda as a war on nature, and I think it is disappointing that a previous National government got so strongly behind this moonshot objective, and this government does not seem to care so much." Both Williams and Kingdon-Bebb say the country has "overwhelmingly" backed the Predator Free 2050 initiative, allowing it to "come a long way, in a relatively short time". Already, predator-elimination projects cover more than 800,000 hectares. "This is a big amount of land," says Williams. "And the goal is big ... but they have done well. "They also said they wanted to fund scientific research, and 15 or 20 projects have already had money to try and sort this problem out. "A lot of community groups have latched on to this - someone said to me that this is the one conservation project that has captured the imagination of New Zealanders more than any other." Kingdon-Bebb agrees. "It has certainly captured the hearts and minds like nothing else," she says. "We have seen an explosion of community trapping groups and landscape-scale projects over the last nine years, which has been amazing ... now I feel the government is taking its foot off the pedal. "What is apparent is that the government has had a look at the delivery model of the programme as a whole, which is complex. "So, if it is the case that the government has reviewed it and determined that a crown-owned corporation is not the best delivery methodology, I can accept that. "DOC has a lot of capability ... and perhaps it is appropriate for DOC to be coordinating this work, perhaps there was duplication of roles and functions and costs. "But where I would be concerned is that in the wider scale of what has happened in the last two budgets, the Department of Conservation will see, in total, about 300 million dollars in savings exacted from it. "So, it does beg the question whether a very stretched department can pick up the leadership of this initiative in a way we would want to see it done." Critics say that move will slow momentum, bury innovation under bureaucracy and confuse local projects already stretched thin. They also argue that across the country, hundreds of predator-free community groups, many driven by volunteers, will be left wondering what support will look like without the company's funding, research backing and strategic oversight. But the government insists the predator-free projects and contracts funded by the company are not affected and it is committed to the predator-free 2050 goal. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
