New Zealand plans to eliminate invasive predators by 2050, wiping out opossums, rats and weasels that threaten the survival of native species, the government announced on Monday.

The island nation has a large number of unique animals that face extreme pressure from small, predatory mammals brought by Polynesian and European settlers.

“While once the greatest threat to our native wildlife was poaching and deforestation, it is now introduced predators,” Prime Minister John Key said in a written statement.

“Rats, possums and stoats kill 25 million of our native birds every year, and prey on other native species such as lizards and, along with the rest of our environment, we must do more to protect them,” the statement said.