New tools for sleeper pest response under changing climatic and social contexts

New Zealand lacks appropriate response frameworks for recent invasions where eradication is no longer considered feasible. There are >50,000 exotic species naturalised in New Zealand. Most are not currently invasive, but predicting which will become invasive, and when, is challenging. We require new tools for rapid development of management responses to these “sleeper pests” when they emerge as invasive threats. Social resistance limits the success of invasive species management responses. Existing invasive species response simulation frameworks do not consider the impact of social factors on management success. Conversely, simulation approaches incorporating social factors do not include changes in habitat suitability (e.g. through climate change). We present new simulation methods capable of integrating both change in the biophysical context (e.g. climate and land use) and in the social context (e.g. public willingness to manage sleeper pests).