A new wildlife conservation centre is using Maori knowledge to create a form of pest control made from a native plant to cull possums.
At the Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation at Lincoln University in Christchurch, which opened this week, part of the aim is to create new ways of protecting native animals and plants from pests.
Senior researcher Shaun Ogilvie says there are a number of natural toxins in New Zealand forests that can be used, and he's
working with Tuhoe studying tutu.
Mr Ogilvie says the research is still in the early stages and it could take years before tutu, if it's found to be suitable for culling possums, can be registered.
