Collecting Pest Data
Making Pest Data Count
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Why is it Important?
Collecting information about pest animals and plants is extremely important. Having accurate information on pest animals and pest weeds and pest control activity, has a number of benefits, including:
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learning more about these pest species
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knowing where to focus efforts
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more effective and efficient efforts to control pests
Ultimately, the more people who collect and report pest data, the more we can protect native species. By taking the time to add your data, you will help to restore the native ecosystems of Kaipātiki and New Zealand.
Knowing these quantifiable results means we can tell compelling stories about the outcomes we achieve, which is great for funding, partnerships and encouraging greater community participation.
2. Pest Animals: Reporting of trapping, baiting, and pest monitoring
We recommend using the app Trap.NZ. Our entire local board area has been split into Halos and each has a Trap.NZ project so we can track progress in each part of Kaipātiki.
For residents trapping at home or reserve volunteers, we recommend:
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Register with Trap.nz at www.trap.nz/user/register (then look for a confirmation email).
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Download the Trap.NZ app and log in using your username and password.
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Join the PFK project (link opens document in a new window) most appropriate to you and wait to be accepted.
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Add your trap or bait station/s and start recording catches or bait take as they happen.
For detailed help in getting started with Trap.NZ, visit their help pages at help.trap.nz.
PFK have also produced a Trap.nz guide for the mobile app and a guide for the browser, e.g. from your laptop.
If you can’t or don't want to use an app, then use these forms and send in your results:
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For trapping: PFK Trapping Record Form (v1.3)
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For baiting: PFK Bait Station Record Form (v1.3)
Send to your coordinator or get in touch with Pest Free Kaipātiki.
3. Volunteer action: reporting of volunteering hours and activity types
We would love you to record your group's projects and activities, the number of volunteers, the hours worked, etc. This data allows Pest Free Kaipātiki to track the work of volunteers in ecological halos in addition to a wide range of ecological and conservation work and events.
Please use our Volunteer Hours Form to report your group or individual volunteer activities.
4. Ecological Monitoring
You can also add to our ongoing ecological monitoring project using iNaturalist. Full details can be found on our Citizen Science page.
How Can I Help?
1. Pest Plants and Weeds: Reporting of location, status and control information
We recommend that you report invasive pest plants and keep control work updated using the EcoNet CAMS app outlined in this document: EcoNet CAMS Weed App.
Registering to use the EcoNet CAMS app helps coordinate weed control done by local community groups and also volunteers in groups such as STAMP. This document also tells you how to report weed growth and control even if you are not a CAMS user.
For those who are familiar with the iNaturalist app, or would like a simplified way to input to the CAMS Weed App, it is possible to add your weed observations and control to iNaturalist and have it appear as part of the CAMS Weed App data (i.e. create map entries that other users can see).
Click here for instructions on using iNaturalist to record your pest plant activities.
