Otago Peninsula Backyard Trappers

The Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group (OPBG) is a community-led conservation iniatitive to control animal pests on the Otago Peninsula to make the area a better place for for native fauna, wildlife and people.

The Otago Peninsula is home to some of New Zealand’s most iconic wildlife and stunning scenery and we want to keep it that way. Since 2011, OPBG has removed over 21,000 possums from the Otago Peninsula and as a result several bird species are increasing in abundance including, bellbird, tūī and kererū.

This incredible achievement is all thanks to the huge effort of everyone involved; residents, contractors, the team at OPBG and all our fantastic funders and volunteers. We still have small numbers of possum residing on the peninsula and we are going to great lengths to eradicate.

Please think about getting involved so we can achieve our goal of possum eradication. We are also beginning work on other pest species, rats, mice, stoats and rabbits.

Get involved

There are opportunities for everyone to get involved — at all levels of fitness. You can work alone, with a friend, or as part of a team. We also invite businesses, schools, clubs and social groups to get involved. Full training is given to groups and individuals and on-going support is provided. Volunteer activities include:

• Biodiversity monitoring

• Pest animal monitoring

• Track clearing and maintenance

• Trapping and pest control

Key native species: Kererū, tui, korimako/bellbirds, rifleman/titipounamu

Target predator(s): Possums

Website: predatorfreepeninsula.nz

Facebook: facebook.com/predatorfreepeninsula

Email: peninsula@opbg.nz