Technical Approach

At over 850,000 hectares, we’re operating at the frontlines of landscape-scale biodiversity restoration. Our team is leveraging cutting-edge tech and transformative tools to go further, faster.

Science-led, globally aligned

Southern Lakes Sanctuary follows international best practice for planning, implementation and monitoring.

First in NZ: Conservation Standards

We were the first project in New Zealand to adopt the Conservation Standards — a world-class, adaptive management framework now used nationwide to drive more effective conservation outcomes.

Independent, expert-backed

Our technical approach is grounded in robust assessments from Wildlands (2020 & 2023) and guided by collaboration with national leaders like Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP).

Smarter traps, bigger reach

We deploy automated, self-resetting traps with real-time remote reporting. These tools allow us to cover vast, remote terrain with greater efficiency and fewer resources.

AI that works with nature

Some of our traps feature AI-powered species recognition, enabling targeted trapping in alpine zones while protecting curious natives like kea from harm.

Innovation in monitoring

To track rare and cryptic species, we use advanced tools like Environmental DNA (eDNA) for reptile detection and acoustic recorders with AI to monitor species like mohua non-invasively.

Core-buffer-corridor model

The initial independent analysis in 2020 recommended a core-buffer-corridor model of landscape-scale predator control, where core areas (Hubs) were intensively trapped and buffered, and corridors established between those core areas, using suppression.

We are now in phase 3 – maintaining our suppression within the core-buffer-corridor model. The next phase is to continually expand our operational area, and then focus on elimination within the complex landscape of our project.  

Elimination Framework

Southern Lakes Sanctuary Project Hubs

The Southern Lakes Sanctuary showing the Hubs (blue lines).  The darker-green shading shows Public Conservation Land administered by DOC and yellow shading shows Fiordland National Park, with remaining areas under various forms of tenure.

1. Identify management units (Hubs)
We underwent a robust process to identify eight Hubs that are logical, geographic management units that adjoin to cover the entire project area, collectively representing a broad cross-section of habitat types. 

2. Prioritise Hubs for protection and elimination
Based on elimination potential and feasibility, biodiversity values, habitats and other criteria, we have prioritised Hubs and sites within them for enhanced protection through suppression and areas for elimination.

3. Protect and grow populations of species in Hubs
We’re protecting and growing populations of threatened and at-risk species across the landscape, until such time as elimination is feasible.

4. Conduct elimination research
To achieve our goal of a predator free landscape, we will invest in elimination research and partnerships to find innovative solutions for elimination.

5. Eliminate predators from priority sites
Concurrent with our suppression program, we will begin to eliminate predators from priority sites and progressively expand from these sites across the entire project landscape.