New Zealand island restoration: seabirds, predators, and the importance of history

Abstract

This paper reviews progress in the restoration ecology of New Zealand’s offshore islands since 1987. Conservation goals and management on offshore islands have undergone major changes in the last 50 years. The emphasis has expanded from species to ecosystems (Towns et al. 1997), with consideration of the interactions between species, and across terrestrial and marine ecosystems. We identify technological advances in three components of this change: control and eradication of non-native species, population genetics and animal behaviour, and the history and role of disturbance regimes.