preview

Free 2050 Essay

Decent Essays

New Zealand released on Friday Predator-Free 2050, a research strategy designed to eradicate rats and other invasive species in the country. Under the ambitious plan, Wellington plans to save New Zealand’s bird by tapping CRISPR gene editing to eradicate rats, possums, and stoats. Under the strategy, all these species must die, down to the last mouse, The Atlantic reported. Predator-Free 2050 started as a grassroots movement, but it picked up following huge public support and the backing of the government. Spreading genes through wild population The research strategy involves the use of CRISPR, the editing technique that scientists use to edit genes with ease and precision. Conservationists will exterminate the rats throughout New Zealand …show more content…

In the paper, Russell pointed out that in 2013, plant, vertebrate, and invertebrate pests destroyed NZ$1.44 billion ($977 million) in agriculture output losses annually. The idea became a movement, followed by government support. A limited company to administer an initial $28 million worth of funds was set up. Ecological xenophobia However, the plan was criticized by some people who said it is ecological xenophobia. To defend the plan, Russell pointed out that something is going to die anyway. Given two choices, he said he would rather that the rat would be killed humanely than for the rat to kill inhumanely the bird. Russell noted the economic impact of a predator-free country. He cited Tiritiri Matangi, an island in the Hauraki Gulf, which welcomes about 14,000 foreign and 23,000 domestic tourists yearly. It was triple the number of visitors in the past after it became predator-free in 1993. Tiritiri Matangi is one of the 100 small islands in New Zealand that has successfully eradicated mammals through the efforts of conservationists. However, the 100 islands represent only 10 percent of the country’s offshore and 0.2 percent of the mainland. Ways to eradicate rats During the pre-CRISPR days, other manual methods were used by conservationists to eradicate the mammals that kill New Zealand’s birds. Don Merton, a legendary conservationist, poisoned the rats by hand in 1963. The Department of Conservation dropped poisoned bait using

Get Access