A survey, by the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group, went out to 1900 residents earlier this year with 15% returning the survey and 96% of those respondents supporting a proposal to eradicate possums from the peninsula.
Towards a Pest-Free Peninsula project manager Rhys Millar said the next step was ascertaining the number of possums and their density across farmland and bush.
To do that, monitoring lines had been put out across the peninsula from Taiaroa Head to Tomahawk this week.
The group would then be able to cost out the programme and seek funding for it.
Preliminary indications were that there were high-density populations on the harbour-facing side of the peninsula above the towns of Portobello and Macandrew and Broad bays, he said.
Results from the monitoring lines, along with results from the survey, would be used to develop an eradication management plan.
It was hoped to have it in draft form by August.
A series of community workshops would then be held to get a community response.
Findings from the survey also showed 60% saw possum as the highest priority pest on the peninsula although for larger landowners, rabbits were the most important problem, he said.
Of the type of eradication preferred, 63% supported trapping but as the size of the landholding increased other methods were suggested.
The support for trapping came mainly from residents concerned about the use of poison, he said.
