Invasive species in New Zealand

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File:Clematis vitalba smothering a Cordyline australis.jpg
Clematis vitalba (old man's beard) smothering a cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) in the Port Hills of Christchurch

A number of introduced species, some of which have become invasive species, have been added to New Zealand's native flora and fauna. Both deliberate and accidental introductions have been made from the time of the first human settlement, with several waves of Polynesian<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> people at some time before the year 1300,<ref>Rat remains help date New Zealand's colonisation. New Scientist. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.</ref> followed by Europeans after 1769.<ref>Abel Tasman did not land, so is unlikely to have introduced anything.</ref>

Almost without exception,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the introduced species have been detrimental to the native flora and fauna, but some, such as farmed sheep and cows and the clover upon which they feed, now form a large part of the economy of New Zealand. Possibility of introduced herbivores (deer) to serve as ecological proxies for extinct moa has been questioned.<ref>David M. Forsyth, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Robert B. Allen, David A. Coomes, 2010, Impacts of introduced deer and extinct moa on New Zealand ecosystems</ref><ref>Kate Guthrie, April 25, 2019, Moa vs Deer – are they so different?, Predator Free NZ Trust</ref><ref>Beth Daley, October 19, 2022, Despite the myth, deer are not an ecological substitute for moa and should be part of NZ’s predator-free plan, The Conversation</ref><ref>Hannah Rae, February 6, 2022, NZ Hunter - Deer Vs Moa, Everand</ref><ref>Farah Hancock, April 14, 2019, Deer are not like moa, Newsroom</ref><ref>Rebekah White, Too much browsing, New Zealand Geographic</ref><ref>Adrian Currie, April 3, 2017, Much Ado About Niches, Extinct</ref>

Biosecurity New Zealand maintains registers and lists of species that are invasive, potentially invasive, or a threat to agriculture or biodiversity.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They also manage a small number of species under the National Interest Pest Responses (NIPR) programme. The rainbow lorikeet is the one animal that has been covered by the NIPR, and was eradicated in 2014. All the other species covered by the NIPR, past or present, are weeds.<ref name=NIPR/>

Animal species

Template:More citations needed Many invasive animal species are listed in schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife Act 1953. Those in Schedule 5 have no protection and may be killed. Those in Schedule 6 are declared to be noxious animals and subject to the Wild Animal Control Act 1977. In 2016 the New Zealand government introduced Predator Free 2050, a project to eliminate all non-native predators (such as rats, possums and stoats) by 2050.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Some of the invasive animal species are as follows.

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Mammals

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  • Brown rat or Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
  • Black rat (Rattus rattus)
  • Kiore (Polynesian rat)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)<ref name="rabbit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Fallow deer
  • Ferret (Mustela putorius furo)<ref name="ferret">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Reptiles

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Birds

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  • Mute Swan<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Fish

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  • Common rudd<ref name="common_rudd">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Invertebrates

Spiders

  • Philoponella congregabilis<ref name="Australian-spiders-Guardian" />
  • The redback, Latrodectus hasselti, thought to have arrived with a steel shipment in the 1980s<ref name="Australian-spiders-Guardian" />

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Plant and other non-animal species

The National Pest Plant Accord, with a listing of about 120 genus, species, hybrids and subspecies, was developed to limit the spread of plant pests. Invasive plants are classified as such on a regional basis with some plants declared as national plant pests. Biosecurity New Zealand manages a small number of weeds under the National Interest Pest Responses programme. As of May 2024, NIPR covers nine weeds. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) was covered until it was eradicated in 2014.<ref name=NIPR>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Additionally, as at 2024 the Department of Conservation lists 386 vascular plant species as environmental weeds.<ref>Template:CiteQ</ref>

Some of the better-known invasive plant species are: Template:Div col

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Auckland has been declared to be the weediest city in the world.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

See also

Animals in New Zealand

Plants in New Zealand

References

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Further reading

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Publications

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