Politecol

Featured image: Science to resolve environmental conflicts

Science to resolve environmental conflicts

- Wayne Linklater • Apr 10, 2019

Conservation science is sometimes used to subjugate people’s environmental values and opinions. Some people say, for example, that they would rather that poisons, like 1080, were used less or not at all in their environment. For most people, those concerns come from genuinely held ethical and environmental values and beliefs. They place great importance in the humane treatment of … Read More

Featured image: Science and environmental conflicts e.g., 1080 poison

Science and environmental conflicts e.g., 1080 poison

- Wayne Linklater • Dec 01, 2018

The responses to my recent article reveal that some in the conservation community, including scientists, policy-makers and managers, are having difficulty understanding the difference between facts and values. They appear also to be having trouble understanding how the distinction is an important guide to scientists when they advocate publicly for one side of an environmental conflict, like that currently … Read More

Featured image: Remembering Peter Nelson’s advice – pest management for the 21st century

Remembering Peter Nelson’s advice – pest management for the 21st century

- Wayne Linklater • Jun 14, 2018

Peter Nelson is remembered as a founder of modern, 21st Century, pest management in New Zealand. In 1993, reflecting on our nation’s failure to eradicate Australian brushtail possum, rabbits and deer, he wrote: “The aim of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is to reduce pest damage to tolerable levels by using a variety of techniques, and ultimately also to reduce … Read More

Featured image: Predator Free by 2050 – a reputational risk to conservation

Predator Free by 2050 – a reputational risk to conservation

- Wayne Linklater • Mar 16, 2018

I am suspicious when government conservation policy is promoted as a religious war against animals, like Predator-Free 2050 has been (see last month’s post). Instead, why isn’t the rational case for our support being made? I suspect that the religious and war-like language is indicative of flaws in the policy or its implementation (see my last post) In this post, … Read More

Featured image: Why is Predator-Free 2050 advocated using the language of religion and war?

Why is Predator-Free 2050 advocated using the language of religion and war?

- Wayne Linklater • Feb 01, 2018

The leaders of the Predator-Free movement routinely describe their goal to eradicate rats, stoats and possums from New Zealand by 2050 with religious and militaristic phrases (see Monday’s post). Sir Rob Fenwick (a Director of Predator-Free 2050), for example, described it as a “project born in a leap of faith”, and a “call to arms” by an “ … Read More

Featured image: Predator Free 2050 – more like a religious war than science-based conservation policy

Predator Free 2050 – more like a religious war than science-based conservation policy

- Wayne Linklater • Jan 29, 2018

One of the leaders of the Predator-Free movement, Sir Rob Fenwick (Chair of the Predator Free New Zealand Trust and a Director of Predator-Free 2050), described Predator-Free 2050 as a “project born in a leap of faith” (Dominion Post). He appears to think the predator-free goal is more like a religion than a science-based conservation project. And, his religion is … Read More

Featured image: Predator-free is a “mirage” – John Parkes

Predator-free is a “mirage” – John Parkes

- Wayne Linklater • Jan 08, 2018

Killing predators to reduce their impact is an important part of wildlife conservation in New Zealand. It delivers good outcomes for biodiversity, especially for our birds and reptiles. It does not logically or scientifically follow, however, that attempting to eradicate predators from ALL of New Zealand is also a good idea. Indeed, some scientists think that a national … Read More

Featured image: Biodiversity conservation in 2100

Biodiversity conservation in 2100

- Wayne Linklater • Nov 10, 2017

This was the theme of today’s panel-public discussion in Old Government Buildings at Victoria University. It was chaired by Kathryn Ryan – host of Radio New Zealand’s Nine-to-noon. Panelists were asked to provide an opening statement that answered the above questions (text box) and described their position. Here is mine. In 2100 people will be an … Read More