In partnership with Predator Free 2050, CESA is developing a self-deploying, wireless monitoring system capable of detecting invasive predators across Aotearoa's most challenging landscapes. Using autonomous drones and rovers, the system spreads itself over a site, forms a live network, and alerts conservation teams the moment a predator is detected - a breakthrough step toward a predator-free New Zealand.
By CESA on 18 October, 2025
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New Zealand’s native species evolved without mammalian predators, leaving them defenceless against the rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels, and possums introduced by humans. These invaders have devastated ecosystems, threatening icons like the kiwi, kākāpō, and tuatara. To restore ecological balance, the national Predator Free 2050 (PF2050) programme aims to eliminate these species from mainland Aotearoa by mid-century.
The Conservation Engineering Society of Aotearoa (CESA) has joined this mission by developing an advanced, mobile monitoring platform to help achieve and maintain predator-free landscapes. The project - an ongoing research and development partnership with PF2050 - focuses on creating an autonomous, self-deploying system that can both confirm when a site is predator-free and detect reinvasions early.
The team's concept centres on a fleet of autonomous drones and rovers that can disperse themselves across rugged environments, from native forest to coastal wetland. Once deployed, they form a wireless grid network that continuously scans for invasive predators using onboard sensors such as thermal and motion cameras. When a detection occurs, the system instantly alerts ground teams, allowing rapid response before populations re-establish.
Unlike fixed traps or manual surveys, CESA's platform can move, adapt, and redeploy itself as conditions change. Each unit communicates with others nearby, extending coverage without the need for costly infrastructure or constant supervision. Designed to blend into the environment and operate safely among wildlife, the devices are built for durability, low maintenance, and minimal ecological disturbance.
This approach addresses one of conservation's toughest challenges: finding the last survivors. As predator populations decline, the few remaining individuals become increasingly elusive and expensive to detect. CESA's solution shifts the balance by automating the search - reducing the human effort needed while dramatically increasing area coverage and response speed.
Early design and prototyping have already shown strong potential. The system's self-deploying mobility and grid-based communication architecture allow large-scale monitoring with very little human input. In the long term, this technology could give conservation teams continuous proof of eradication and early-warning capability across vast and previously inaccessible landscapes.
For CESA, the project represents the next step in conservation engineering - using robotics and intelligent design to directly support ecological restoration. By empowering people with better tools, CESA aims to help Predator Free 2050 turn a national vision into a practical, achievable reality.
