Live or let die: Are hybrids worthy of conservation?

Published on 2 Whiringa-ā-rangi November 2023

Traditionally, the focus of conservation efforts has been the preservation of individual species. But what should we do when crossbreeding or hybridisation blurs the boundaries between species? Are hybrids worthless life contributing to ‘genetic pollution’? Or should we protect hybrids as ‘carriers of the whakapapa of older taonga species’? More importantly, what are the diverse values that should inform these important decision-making processes in conservation? What is it that conservation intends to conserve, and why? These questions are becoming more urgent, as species are increasingly interacting due to human-assisted movement, climate change and habitat alteration.

Dr Rayne has been awarded a Marsden Fund Fast-Start grant to map the dominant perspectives and rationale behind hybrid-related decision-making in global conservation efforts. She and her wider research team (Dr Marc Tadaki, Dr Jane Kitson, Dr Axel Moehrenschlager, Associate Professor Krushil Watene) will then analyse diverse moral and social perspectives on hybrids from four different communities of practice in Aotearoa: the biological sciences; conservation policy and practice; the hunting, fishing, and recreational communities; and Te Ao Māori. In doing so, this research will uplift the voices of communities who are currently absent or marginalised in dominant conservation discourses.  

An understanding of the diverse values held about hybrids will help foster a broader and socially-just approach to conservation. By addressing this under-researched area, this work will initiate a reshaping of conservation research agendas to meet the complex ecological realities of the modern world, with the aim of informing conservation policy and practice.

Dr Aisling Rayne in the field with colleagues including research team members Dr Marc Tadaki and Dr Jane Kitson (photo credit: Alaric McCarthy)