Recent innovations in the means by which location information is obtained from vagile animals have catalysed the development of ‘movement ecology’ (see Nathan et al., PNAS, 2008), a new scientific sub-discipline which seeks to understand what factors influence the ecology and behaviour of animals by quantifying how, where, and when they move, and by identifying what factors influence the course of their ‘lifetime tracks’. In the context of the ‘movement ecology’ paradigm, I will describe some of the results of our study of common brushtail possums in New Zealand, particularly with regard to how fine-scale knowledge of the movement and activity patterns of this species can be used to improve control practices in areas where possums constitute a significant contribution to the local economies of rural Maori communities.
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