Conservation policy in New Zealand is centred around an objective to totally eradicate three invasive species; the ship rat ( Rattus rattus ), the brushtail possum ( Trichosurus vulpecula ) and the stoat ( Mustela erminea ), by 2050. The preferred control method to achieve this is large scale poisoning operations with 1080 and similar toxins. This project is backed up by governmental and non-governmental agencies and surrounded with discourse of ‘war’ and ‘invasion’. The ‘Big Three’ predators are endowed with sinister motives as a means of mobilising support. This self-described ‘war’ is evaluated in terms of ‘just war’ theory and found wanting. In particular there are issues with the recruitment of children for killing, humiliation of combatants, questionable economic motives for the ‘war’, deception by government agencies, lack of consultation, a lack of consideration of alternatives, the use of excessive suffering, and unrealistic expectations. An alternative paradigm of ‘compassionate conservation’ is proposed for New Zealand. Instead of trying to get back to a stable pre-colonial state of nature, I propose a holistic approach that respects both ecosystems and their members and takes into account new understandings of ecosystems as dynamic processes.

中文翻译：

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Predator Free New Zealand 和害虫“战争”：这是一场正义战争吗？

新西兰的保护政策以彻底根除三种入侵物种为目标；到 2050 年，船鼠 (Rattus rattus)、刷尾负鼠 (Trichosurus vulpecula) 和白鼬 (Mustela erminea)。实现这一目标的首选控制方法是使用 1080 和类似毒素进行大规模中毒操作。这个项目得到了政府和非政府机构的支持，并被“战争”和“入侵”的话语所包围。“三巨头”掠夺者被赋予了险恶的动机作为动员支持的手段。这种自我描述的“战争”是根据“正义战争”理论进行评估的，并且被认为是缺乏的。尤其是招募儿童杀人、侮辱战斗人员、“战争”的经济动机可疑、政府机构欺骗、缺乏协商、缺乏对替代方案的考虑、过度使用痛苦和不切实际的期望。为新西兰提出了另一种“富有同情心的保护”范式。我并没有试图回到稳定的前殖民自然状态，而是提出了一种尊重生态系统及其成员的整体方法，并将生态系统作为动态过程的新理解考虑在内。