The Future of Pest Control

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1 The Future of Pest Control Overview of planned research Andrea Byrom (on behalf of Dan Tompkins) Hosted by

2 MISSION Reverse the decline of New Zealand s biological heritage, through a national partnership to deliver step change in research innovation, globally-leading technologies, and community and sector action 17 Challenge Parties: 7 CRI, 8 Uni, + MPI + DOC

3 $28M: Matched investment: govt expects $2 for every $1 it

4 Cost: $9B (NPV over 50-year time frame) With current tools and technologies

5 Invasive mammal management Recognised as mission critical Emerging & new control tools & approaches New surveillance/detection tools & approaches Better use of current & emerging technologies Remote monitoring of devices Pest behaviour and population compensation Improving interaction rates with devices Strategy modelling (approach, place, outcome) Biodiversity goals and outcomes National coordination National data collection Monitoring and evaluation Citizen Science Aspirational demonstration sites Partnerships and engagement IO1: Large-scale suppression IO2: Better detection & surveillance IO3: New tech developed and used IO4: Strategy and planning for BioHeritage benefit IO5: Working with communities By 2050, invasvie mammal pests are no longer a threat to the security of New Zealand s indigenous biota, valued non-native species and ecosystem services Reverse the decline of New Zealand s biological heritage, through a national partnership to deliver a step change in research innovation, globally leading technologies and community and sector action

6 High tech solutions to invasive mammal pests (Challenge funding) Project construction being led by Dr Dan Tompkins (Landcare Research); Final construction phase aiming for October 2016 start; Project to be led by Rutherford Fellow Dr James Russell (U Auckland); Planned team includes University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, Auckland University, Massey University, Landcare Research, Plant & Food, and the Ngā Matapopore advisory group.

7 Existing initiatives Complemented by Challenge research Challenge funded High tech solutions to invasive mammal pests project Challenge sponsored Mammal Control Collective (Lincoln University & LR led) Cross-cutting social and community engagement projects with a research component

8 Horizon 1 (short term) Lincoln Uni Small Mammal Collective Auckland Uni Taranaki Mounga Cape to City Reconnecting Northland Horizon 2 (medium term) Landcare Research Horizon 3 (long term) NZ s BioHeritage Challenge Research investment roadmap to a Predator-Free New Zealand Horizon 1/Short term = usually low-risk research; operational delivery 1-5 years Horizon 2/Medium term = moderate degree of risk; operational delivery 3-10 years Horizon 3/Long term = high degree of risk; operational delivery 8-20 years Research may also include monitoring, surveillance, ecology etc. not just tools Predator Free NZ Ltd DOC ZIP

9 Objective 1 High-tech innovations to build acceptable and affordable landscape-scale control tools Genome mining to design hostspecific toxins Goal: Single control application (bait) targeting multiple pests with acceptable humaneness and no non-target or environmental impacts

10 Based on genome mining for human drug development (e.g. receptor targets for cancer drugs): Mine sequence data for new targets analogous to already known targets Use comparative genomics to assess if different from nontargets Identify host-specific toxins for further testing

11 Objective 1 High-tech innovations to build acceptable and affordable landscape-scale control tools Genetic based population suppression Goal: Identify, out of several options the best way forward for New Zealand; facilitate and benefit from leading international groups

12 Genetic-based population suppression Option 1 Gene drives Use selfish genetic elements to spread genes through pest populations; No proof-of-concept yet for population suppression; Large and expensive technical hurdles; Policy hurdles (e.g. United Nations); Regulatory hurdles (e.g. EPA) Social licence to use gene editing for pest control? Challenge plan is to join leading international collaborations

13 Genetic-based population suppression Option 2 Trojan Female Technique Maternally transmitted naturally occurring variants decrease male fertility and can theoretically cause persistent population suppression; Development in achieved proof-of-concept (persistent population regulation) in insects; Question of utility for mammal control still open; Would be a non-gmo solution (selective breeding)

14 Genetic-based population suppression Option 3 Infertility-causing vaccine Using modern techniques to leverage from work conducted as part of the possum biocontrol OBI; Host-specific immune triggering against female s own eggs; Would be a recombinant vaccine, similar to the highly successful oral rabies vaccine used in the United States; Two-year trial to assess stop/go for possum fertility control

15 Objective 2 High-tech innovations to enable landscapescale surveillance and detection A new paradigm for lure development Higher-order predator scent is more effective than food or mate scents; field data shows 300% increase in stoat interactions; Goal: Stoat lure in a can available within 3 years Patrick Mar 1 Mesopredators are surprisingly attracted to the body odour of apex predators

16 Objective 2 High-tech innovations to enable landscapescale surveillance and detection Biosensors Species identification for pest surveillance and detection; Goal: Underpinning development for cheap, reliable and ultrasensitive electrical biosensors that can be remotely monitored

17 Objective 3 Underpinning strategy and licence to operate Bioethics panel Overseeing research conducted (also across other Challenge projects) Transdisciplinary panel of thought-leaders Community group hui Northland, Hawkes Bay, Otago Exploring acceptability of new tools and technologies Mathematical modelling what management approaches to use in what context; how to maximise benefit, reduce cost and extend the scale of pest management with the current toolbox product specifications for new technology development.

18 How many and which of these components will progress immediately will depend on what resources can be aligned to the Challenge project Currently very little resourcing in the New Zealand science system for this type of research

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20 No-one can accuse New Zealand s government of a lack of ambition

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22 Bold, ballsy, and just the sort of thing we should do

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24 Horizon 1 (short term) Lincoln Uni Small Mammal Collective Auckland Uni Taranaki Mounga Cape to City Reconnecting Northland Horizon 2 (medium term) Landcare Research Horizon 3 (long term) NZ s BioHeritage Challenge Research investment roadmap to a Predator-Free New Zealand Horizon 1/Short term = usually low-risk research; operational delivery 1-5 years Horizon 2/Medium term = moderate degree of risk; operational delivery 3-10 years Horizon 3/Long term = high degree of risk; operational delivery 8-20 years Research may also include monitoring, surveillance, ecology etc. not just tools JV Predator Free NZ Ltd DOC ZIP

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26 Photo: Craig McKenzie Predator-Free New Zealand?

27 How to connect with the Challenge New Zealand s Biological Heritage

28 Hosted by

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