Ecological restoration at Mainland Islands in New Zealand

While important advances have been made in recovering threatened species and restoring damaged habitats on offshore islands, effective conservation management is also required on the main (North and South) islands if representative elements of New Zealand's remaining biodiversity are to be protected. The recent initiation of Mainland Island projects constitutes an important step in that ecosystem-focused restoration goals are being pursued at mainland sites. The intensity and scope of pest control undertaken at Mainland Islands is greater than has normally been the case previously, as has been monitoring of results and conservation outcomes, Preliminary results suggest that declines in monitored species have been arrested and ecological processes revitalised. In addition to restoring values at individual sites Mainland Islands may be important places where our capacity to manage ecosystems more generally may be developed. Advances in our understanding of ecological processes and of responses to management using sound scientific procedures as part of operational programmes could lead to improved predictions to underpin management decisions. Refinements to management techniques and the development of appropriate skills, as well as enhancing public support and involvement could also be expected to have major benefits for conservation management more widely. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.