Articles
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Whanganui National Park Biodiversity Work Underway
DOC, Horizons Regional Council and the Animal Health Board are working together to manage possums across more than 150 000 hectares of public and private land along the Whanganui River. This remote area is home to the largest population of North Island brown kiwi and plays host to a number of native bird and plant species.
Along with the Ministry of Economic Development, Te Puni Kokiri and the Hinengakau Development Trust, they have also supported the establishment of a training and business development unit, Te Amo Taiao which has seen 10 trainees develop their skills in pest control and biodiversity management. Definitely one to watch over the next few years! -
Kereru Count
The KCC Kereru Count kicked off on Sunday. You've got until next Sunday to submit your sightings.
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Improvement in Mohua Numbers
Rare bird are thriving in Otago thanks to aerial 1080 and other pest control .
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Proper Use of 1080 Poses a Low Risk to Human Health
1080 is a water-soluble, naturally occurring toxin found in some plants that probably evolved to deter browsing animals. Among the plants that produce it are many varieties of tea, so tea drinkers are often naturally consuming very small amounts of 1080 that pose no safety risk.
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Endangered Species
Around 2,700 species in NZ are classified as threatened, yet only 12% of our conservation land is under any form of pest control. Conservation Advocate Nic Toki talks to TVNZ's 'Breakfast' about what this means for NZ.
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1080 Drop in Waipoua Blitzes Rats, Boost Birds
Department of Conservation rangers say it has been a brilliant breeding season for the birds in Waipoua Kauri Forest after an aerial 1080 drop.
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Annual Report on the Aerial Use of 1080
Did you know that aerial application of 1080 accounted for just seven percent of all pest control operations in 2010? The remaining 93 percent was carried out by hand, using a combination of trapping and bait stations.
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Water Safe After 1080 Drop
Is 1080 really poisoning our waterways as critics claim? This story from NIWA provides some pretty convincing evidence that it isn't...
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Living in Denial: When a Sceptic Isn't a Sceptic
This article discusses the fundamental difference between taking a scientific approach to the evaluation of evidence, and the use of confirmation bias.
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November 2011 Edition of the New Zealand Journal of Forestry
The November 2011 edition of the New Zealand Journal of Forestry was dedicated to the 1080 debate, with articles by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment; Landcare scientists Penny Fisher, Graham Nugent, David Morgan, Bruce Warburton, Phil Cowan and Janine Duckworth; 1080 opponent Bill Benfield; and Forest & Bird Conservation Ambassador Dr Gerry Mc Sweeney. The full articles are behind a paywall, but you can read an abstract of each article here:
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Tackling Ignorance About 1080
The lead story in the latest NZ Ecological Society newsletter discusses the need to tackle ignorance about 1080.
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DOC Scientist on Whiting O’Keefe Paper on 1080 and Birds
Department of Conservation statistician Ian Westbrooke comments on 1080 use and the impact on birds and responds to the Whiting O’Keefe paper.
Based on the fact that 1080 is an acute toxin, the primary focus for DOC on terms of native animals has been establishing if there is an immediate impact from 1080 operations, with the main focus on birds. The assessment is that if there are no immediate impacts it is very unlikely that there are longer term impacts.
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Observing the transit of Venus
2011 is the International Year Of Chemistry and to celebrate, the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry ran an online competition to determine the molecule that has most changed New Zealand society. 1080 came third after carbon and caffeine!
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The Post-Election Outlook on Our Conservation Lands
A great summary by Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate, Claire Browning, on what the election results mean for conservation.
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New Zealanders Make Mark on Conservation
Well-known Canadian scientist Dr Joe Schwarcz discusses the critical role 1080 plays in NZ conservation in his weekly column in the Montreal Gazette.
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DOC Cutbacks 'Will Lead to Extinctions'
Animals teetering on the edge of oblivion will be pushed into extinction by further cuts at the Conservation Department (DOC), a group of scientists has warned.
More than 100 conservation biologists and scientists wrote to Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson and DOC director-general Al Morrison yesterday, warning that cuts would send more species to extinction and cost the country its "100% Pure" brand.
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Peter Dunne looks ahead
Peter Dunne backpeddles on 1080 issue, stating "we have never been so irresponsible as to suggest it should be phased out in the absence of an alternative."
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Serious Wool Decisions to Be Made
From James Houghton (Federate Farmers Waikato president). Topping my list of campaign highlights was any time Peter "Rambo" Dunne and his faithful followers stood up for the rights of possums, rats and stoats to wage war on our native wildlife. They don't understand that 1080 might be a nuisance to possum trappers and feral deer hunters, but it is a small price to keep both our native wildlife and our multi-billion dollar beef and dairy industries safe. What's next, a campaign to plant old man's beard around the Tane Mahuta kauri tree?'
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1080 Drop: Possums, Rats Killed, Birds Thrive
A recent aerial 1080 operation in the Silver Peaks area has had several benefits - not only have rat and possum populations been knocked to zero but researchers have had a chance to study the impact of 1080 on the resident South Island robin population.
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New Zealand First Policies at a Glance
Election Update: New Zealand First would scrap 1080 in favour of other forms of pest control. Unfortunately, in its manifesto it makes the mistake of claiming that "$100 million/year is spent on aerial 1080 by DOC and the AHB" - the actual figure is only $10-$15 million across all users.
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Little Penguins Saved by Fox Eradication Program
On Phillip Island every evening, the march of the penguins captivates onlookers as thousands of little penguins waddle their way from the shore to their burrows in the dunes.
It's one of the best places in the world to see little or fairy penguins (Eudyptula minor) - the smallest of penguin species. But this daily trek has been declining as fox populations have taken hold since being introduced onto the island by early settlers in 1901.
"Old fox hunts were something they embraced and brought across with them, but they didn't realise the flow-on effects; penguins aren't evolved to [avoid] a predator like the fox," says Stuart Murphy from Phillip Island Nature Park.
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Labour Launches Biosecurity Policy
New Zealand must have a first-class biosecurity system.
Keeping pests and diseases out of our island nation is essential for our primary producers, our livelihoods, and the protection of our unique native flora and fauna. And for our primary producers to compete in global markets, they need to be able to give biosecurity assurance to customers.
With trade and travel increasing in a globalising world, pressure on our borders is becoming more acute and pest incursions are increasing. Over the past five years over 400 pests a year have been caught at the border - and in the last quarter of 2010 alone, three new pests became established in New Zealand. We need biosecurity vigilance to protect our country from environmental and economic damage from pest invaders, and from severe health threats like avian influenza. We must plan for the future challenges that increased trade and travel, and climate change, will bring.
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Election Soapbox: 1080
As part of Stuff's Election Soapbox series readers become the reporter and quiz the politicians with the help of Readers' Reporter Paloma Migone. Today Wellington's Rob Howey asks the parties for their policies on 1080.
Question: When are you going to stop "poisoning" our bush with 1080?
Wellington Rob Howey wants the next government to stop "poisoning" New Zealand's bushes with 1080.
An avid hunter, the 43-year-old says the pesticide is killing deer.
"I enjoy getting out in the bush and hunting. 1080 is not good for the environment," he said.
The pesticide is used by the Department of Conservation (DOC) to control possums, rats and stoats.
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Next Steps to Protect our Natural Environment
The National Party’s conservation policy tackles introduced pests, protects native species, and encourages community engagement, says Conservation Spokeswoman Kate Wilkinson.
“New Zealanders are rightly proud of our natural environment. It is central to our national identity, and it provides many economic growth opportunities – particularly for our tourism and primary production sectors,” says Ms Wilkinson.
“National’s conservation policy builds on the steps we have already taken to preserve and protect natural resources for the future.
“It outlines our plan to further open up the conservation estate so that it can be enjoyed by New Zealanders and visitors, and at the same time make sure native species are better protected.”
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Spare the 1080, Destroy the Habitat
There must be an election around the corner with politicians of almost every stripe saying almost anything they can think of to grab voter attention.
It seems United Future MP Peter Dunne has decided the best way to get noticed is to threaten to waste thousands of dollars on yet another 1080 enquiry.
Dunne may think he is tugging on voters' heartstrings by proclaiming 1080 a failed experiment, but by doing so he must be wilfully turning a blind eye to the role it has played in virtually eradicating bovine tuberculosis from the central North Island.
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Kea Survive Paringa 1080 Drop
All kea being monitored survived a large 1080 drop in the Paringa-Lake Moeraki area, the Department of Conservation said today.
In September, seven monitored kea died from poisoning during an aerial 1080 operation around Okarito, In 2008 seven monitored kea were killed in a drop around the glaciers.
DOC South Westland area manager Jo Macpherson said today staff were “very aware” of the potential risk to kea in the 12,695ha drop zone.
DOC had consequently monitored birds closely before and after the operation.
The poisoning went ahead after rat numbers skyrocketed, in some areas up eight-fold.
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Aorangi Restoration Driven by Community
Community holds the key to enhancing and restoring the natural environment. This was the resounding message at the launch of the Aorangi Forest Restoration Trust on a remote ridge top in South Wairarapa last week (3 Nov).
More than 40 people joined the Director General of Conservation Al Morrison for the launch on Geoff Wilkinson's hill country farm at the end of Ruakokopatuna Road.
The intent of the Restoration Trust is to enhance the natural heritage values of the Aorangi Forest Park and the private land surrounding it. Al Morrison commented this community run project is the future of conservation; in which boundaries of public and private land are irrelevant in regard to conservation outcomes.
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Kiwis Released into Egmont National Park
High up in the native bush on the northern side of Egmont National Park, five young kiwi are getting used to their new homes.
On Saturday they were carried there in individual boxes by members of the Taranaki Kiwi Trust, then released into specially prepared shelter holes.
And as they completed their journey which had taken them from Taranaki to the Maungatautari ecological island near Cambridge and back, plans were in place to take 100 petrel chicks on a longer journey.
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Conservation a Good Investment, Says Forest & Bird
The Greens’ election conservation policy would better protect threatened native wildlife, and more than double the baseline funding for the Department of Conservation in the next six years.
A key part of the policy is a draft Wildlife (Threatened Species Protection) Amendment Bill, which would require DOC to write recovery plans for all threatened species.
“This recovery plan proposal is four decades overdue in New Zealand,” Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Claire Browning said.
The United States passed legislation in 1973 which means it now has recovery plans for around 80 percent of its threatened species. In contrast, New Zealand has recovery plans for fewer than three percent of our 2,788 threatened species.
Recovery plans would require DOC to decide how recovery would be paid for and what would be done to make it happen. Currently 97 percent of our threatened native species have had no practical steps taken to protect them.
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Annual Report on the Aerial Use of 1080
1080 is one of the most closely-monitored hazardous substances in New Zealand. This is the fourth annual report on the aerial use of 1080 since the controls on its use were tightened in 2007.
The Environmental Protection Authority received reports for 45 aerial 1080 operations in 2010, covering nearly 440,000 hectares.
There were fewer aerial 1080 operations, covering less area than the previous two reports, but this is more likely to be due to the cycle of pest control operations than changes in use patterns. In the last four years, we have seen progress through research, development of industry standards and better communication.
In 2010, 17 new research projects were commenced and 34 projects looking to improve practices and find alternative pest control methods continued.
In addition, the National Possum Control Agencies published guidelines for the management of aerial 1080 operations, which should support further improvements in industry performance. -
Poison Plan to Hit Island's Possums
The Conservation Department is planning to spread 1080 poison across about 4950 hectares of Stewart Island forest to control possum numbers.
DOC has been managing possum numbers with poison and traps over about 30,500ha of Rakiura National Park, on Stewart Island, during the past 11 years and will carry out the poison control in the L3 block, on the south coast of Paterson Inlet, between November 21 and January 31.
DOC southern islands biodiversity manager Brent Beaven said possum feeding had severely affected the health of the forest within the park, with trees such as the southern rata and lancewood receiving harsh damage, while species such as fuchsia and wineberry had died out in some areas.
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Epa Annual Report on Aerial Use of 1080
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has released its fourth annual report on 1080, a substance it says is one of the most closely-monitored in New Zealand.
The report covers aerial 1080 operations conducted in the year ended December 2010 and research carried out to July 2011. It includes data gathered from mandatory post-operational reporting, from monitoring, and from reported incidents and public concerns.
There were 45 aerial operations in 2010, covering nearly 440,000 hectares. The EPA’s General Manager Hazardous Substances, Andrea Eng, said that although there were fewer operations than in previous years, this was more likely to be due to the cycle of pest control operations rather than changes in use patterns. -
Splash of Yellow Returns to Reserve
Irish naturalist Richard Henry called them bush canaries. He noticed bright yellow mohua (yellowheads) flitting in Resolution Island's forests as he began his trail-blazing job in 1894 to move kakapo and kiwi there.
He was employed as the island's caretaker that year to undertake the world's first relocation of endangered birds to an island sanctuary.
Now, 117 years later, fellow conservationists have followed his pioneering footsteps to return rare mohua to this restoration island in Fiordland.
"Moving mohua back there is pretty neat," Fiordland Conservation Trust chairman Murray Willans says.
"[Richard Henry] would have been rapt to see it happening."
In 1891, Resolution Island became the country's first nature reserve to protect flightless birds from stoats, weasels and ferrets, which were obliterating mainland populations. -
1080 Kiwi Claims Extremely Misleading
The Department of Conservation is concerned factual information about kiwi deaths in the Tongariro Forest has been inaccurately portrayed by anti-1080 campaigners.
A media statement released yesterday by anti-1080 campaigner Clyde Graf linked biodegradable 1080 with the death of 89 kiwi in the Tongariro Forest Kiwi Sanctuary over the past five years.
The release, titled "89 Dead Kiwi - 1080 clearly not working" selectively quoted information provided by DOC and claimed that 1080 drops in the forest had failed to protect kiwi.
It also suggested the biodegradable toxin itself could be responsible for the kiwi deaths.
However DOC says the release fails to point out that 1080 - which breaks down naturally in soil within weeks - was last used in the forest sanctuary almost four months before the first recorded kiwi death.
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1080 Operation Nails Kiwi Killers at Ōkārito
DOC says the recent 1080 operation at Ōkārito has decimated rat and stoat numbers in the treatment area, lowering the risk to kiwi and other forest birds of predation during the breeding season.
Post-operation monitoring of the numbers of rats and stoats in the treatment area of Ōkārito Forest has shown that their numbers have plummeted since they were last assessed in August this year. Rodent and stoat numbers in the untreated area remained high.
Rodent and stoat numbers have been assessed every three months since 2001 using a method called small mammal indexing. The indexing result is a percentage, which gives an idea of how many stoats and rats are around. -
Possum Control Successful Around Raglan
A series of highly successful possum and rat control operations from Raglan through Te Akau to Port Waikato was the highlight of an annual report to the Waikato Regional Council’s regional pest management committee yesterday.
Council possum control is aimed at protecting native plants and birds, as well as the productive capacity of farms and catchment management, while targeted rat control is crucial to protecting bird life.
The report – for the year to 30 June 2011 – noted how a possum control milestone had been achieved during the year through the completion of control in the Te Akau South pest control zone.
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Another View on 1080
Barry Silvester is once again being mischievous. The deaths of the 7 tracked kea is a concern for all. A repellent was used that had been tested with 2 captive kea whom firmly rejected the baits. That the wild kea then went on to eat the poison baits is obviously a problem that will be researched and further decisions around the use of 1080 will be made. The drop was combined between AHB and DoC and involved 30000 hectares of very dense forest at Okarito. The purpose of the operation was to help native rowi (kiwi) fledge their chicks without the chicks continually becoming prey to possums, stoats and rats. Operation Nest Egg is currently underway in the area to try to save the species.
The deaths to kea all occurred at the northern end of the drop in an area of previously harvested forest. There were 38 tracked kea. Tracking of kea has revealed that 60% of kea nests are visited by predators. Video monitoring has captured possums and stoats attacking nests. Add natural attrition and it is obvious that kea are in trouble.
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Death Lurks in the Ashes on Western Farms
CATTLEMEN in the fire-gutted Desert Uplands south of Pentland are in a desperate race to move livestock off more than 2500sq km of charred country before the poisonous heartleaf tree emerges from the ashes.
Cattle that survived the bushfire which tore across at least six stations last week - destroying nearly all of the grass on some - now face the prospect of dying an agonising death from heartleaf.
Station owners say that because of the dry conditions, grass will be slow to strike after the fire, but that the deadly heartleaf shrub - which thrives in tough conditions - will shoot within two weeks and will prove a tempting food item for hungry cattle. The native heartleaf shrub contains monofluoroacetic acid which is the same compound used in the deadly 1080 dingo poison. Once symptoms manifest in livestock, death quickly follows.
The fire, which raged for more than six days, was finally contained last Friday after 140km of firebreaks were graded and backburned.
There were still pockets of country alight yesterday, but these were contained behind breaks in range country and posed no immediate threat.
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Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080
Controlling the wave of introduced pests in NZ was never going to be easy and no one ever said as much. The kea deaths in Okarito are a serious setback. They warrant further investigation to work out how to avoid impacting on these curious clowns of the mountains when you do 1080 pest control.
But we simply cannot give up on extensive pest control and abandon whole natural ecosystems to the pests.
South and North Okarito are fabulous lowland forests that a large number of NZers put huge effort into fighting to save from logging from 1975 onwards. They are World Heritage protected and part of Westland National Park. Until the 1080 operation of Sept 4-6 2011, they were also riddled with rats, stoats and possums. These pests have devastated the kaikawaka, rata, fuchsia and mahoe of these forests. They have also condemned the very diverse birdlife of these forests to a miserable future unless something is done about controlling the pests.
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Seven Keas Dead in Wake of 1080 Work
A disappointed Department of Conservation has reported the deaths of seven keas following a recent 1080 pest control operation on the West Coast that was designed to prevent the birds eating poison baits.
The department has vowed to keep trying to find more ways to protect the birds. Tests were being carried out on the birds to confirm initial indications they died from eating the baits, Doc's Franz Josef area manager, Wayne Costello, said in a media release.
The seven birds that died recently were among 38 keas fitted with radio transmitters as part of a four-year programme to assess the risks and benefits of 1080 operations on kea populations.
They follow seven kea deaths reported in the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier area in 2008, with the possum-killing 1080 poison pinpointed then as the most likely cause of death. -
'donky-dumb' Nz Makes Stupid Decisions.
What with dirty dairying and fast-food wrappers littering the country, you think we've got environmental problems.
Spare a thought then for the citizens of St Valery en Caux in Normandy.
They are up in arms over an environmental outrage.
Fishing and aquaculture are dominant activities in those parts, and the region is renowned for oysters - whose growth rates are no doubt assisted by warm water released from the local nuclear power plant.
The villagers' concern has nothing to do with matters nuclear, but rather a proposal to desecrate the skyline by erecting hideous wind turbines on a local beauty spot along the cliff top.
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Native plant, pest control poison of the future?
Could the native tutu plant be the pest control poison of the future? The newly-opened Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation at Lincoln University in Christchurch is working with Tuhoe to invstigate the potential of tutu toxin for pest control. Just 100g of raw plant material is enough to kill 2000 mice.
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Bid to aid rarest kiwi quickens
Marama and Whetu are oblivious to huge efforts to save their species as they nest on their precious egg under a hollow tree stump in lush Okarito forest.
Maori for moon and star, this soft-feathered couple is one of 67 breeding pairs of New Zealand's rarest kiwi species, Apteryx rowi. There are only about 370 adult rowi left in the Okarito kiwi sanctuary, an 11,000-hectare dense lowland forest on the West Coast, near Franz Josef. The only other rowi in the world are last year's chicks, 36 juveniles, which are on a predator-free creche island in Marlborough Sounds.
Last week, the Department of Conservation's (DOC) Operation Nest Egg ranger, Iain Graham, and his young kiwi-tracking dog, Rein, headed to the forest to find Whetu and Marama's nest to retrieve their precious 26-day-old egg. The pair has been monitored for several years but it is not an easy find.
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Nature's lean, mean killing machine
Like all great hunters, Andrew Veale has the utmost respect for his foe.
That the Auckland PhD student's quarry is a stoat in no way lessens the chase - nor the value of the prize.
Stoats represent the biggest threat to New Zealand's surviving native birdlife. They account for more than half of kiwi deaths outside "pest-free" sanctuaries and their preferred diet extends to weka, takahe, kaka, tui, bellbirds and others.
They are killing machines - 30cm of lean muscle, sinew and teeth adapted to tackle prey many times their size and bodyweight, says Veale. They kill far more than they need to satisfy short-term hunger - just in case food runs short tomorrow. And when they've cleaned-out one habitat, they find another.
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Biodiversity values come first
Once it became apparent that possums were having a significant and detrimental impact on the unique biodiversity values of New Zealand, various methods of control were tried. One of the earliest was a bounty system in the 1950s. This continued for over 10 years, cost the government millions of dollars and was a complete failure — with the possum population increasing and expanding at the time.
Secondly your correspondent states that pre-1980 “NZ did not have a problem with possums because the fur industry kept them under control”.
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Possum traps found in Hutt suburb
Illegal possum traps found in an Upper Hutt suburb could have injured children or local pets, says the SPCA.
Wellington SPCA was called out to Riverston Terraces yesterday afternoon, where they found two "stressed and frightened" possums caught in gin traps which had been laid along a bush walk.
Duty inspector Ben Lakomy said the traps were found by a couple walking their dogs and were very close to the track.
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AHB responds to criticisms, says fur recovery options being explored
The Animal Health Board (AHB) has never quoted a “per possum” cost, nor are we “unaccountable” or “privately-owned”. We are a public-private partnership, totally accountable to our funders: the New Zealand government, regional councils and farmers.
With regard to your correspondent’s concerns about our efficiency, s/he may be interested to learn that, despite our funding levels remaining stagnant since 2001, we have still made significant progress in reducing infected herd numbers. Furthermore, we have a global reputation for efficient and effective TB management. These successes are due largely to improvements we have made to operational efficiencies, and investments in research and innovation. In 2010, Cabinet requested MAF Biosecurity New Zealand to do a review of AHB’s “efficiency and effectiveness”. The independent report (Bovine Tb Strategy Review of Costs) concluded that “the AHB has a strong culture of seeking efficiency by lowering unit cost and by targeting effort where it is best rewarded”. -
DOC 'needs to open up on 1080 success'
The Department of Conservation needs to better inform the public about the need for 1080 poison use and the success it has had, Environment Commissioner Jan Wright says.
Dr Wright last month released a report on the use of 1080 which suggested it should be used more widely.
Her report found that without it, many native species would be lost, and recommended aerial drops be increased in sensitive conservation areas.
Today she appeared before Parliament's environment select committee to discuss the report.
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1080 - this debate a no brainer
Argument over whether New Zealand should unleash 1080 poison on its wildlife killers is barely a debate – there's only one side in it, writes Philip Matthews.
The nastiest horror movie ever made in New Zealand? It must be that notorious Conservation Department (DOC) footage of a stoat in action. Filmed in shadowy night-vision, it shows a stoat raiding a whio – native blue duck – nest, attacking the female duck and stealing her eggs. -
Wild dog and fox control program near Clarence Town
Feral dogs and foxes are being targeted by a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) baiting program in Columbey National Park west of Clarence Town.
NPWS Barrington Tops area manager Anthony Signor said the feral animal control program, to be conducted from July 25 to August 12, is part of a cooperative program covering the Clarence Town area, run in conjunction with Forests NSW and the Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA).
“The program will see baits laid in the southern sections of the park, whilst Forests NSW will be laying baits in the neighbouring Uffington State Forest,” Mr Signor said.
“The LHPA will assist by conducting trapping and baiting on neighbouring private property.
“The control program uses 1080 baits, buried beneath the soil surface at designated bait stations.
“This reduces the likelihood of the poison being taken by native animals and ensures unused baits can be collected and disposed of properly.
“People are reminded that pets are not allowed in any national park or nature reserve at any time and the baits used are lethal to domestic pets.
“Neighbours and nearby residents are reminded to control domestic pets, particularly dogs, and prevent them entering the park”.
Signs will be installed notifying neighbours and visitors that a wild dog and fox baiting program using 1080 poison is underway.
http://www.dungogchronicle.com.au/news/local/news/general/wild-dog-and-fox-control-program-near-clarence-town/2229790.aspx -
Tongariro 1080 drop to include deer repellent
A 20,000ha stretch of the Tongariro Forest Park will be targeted in an extensive aerial drop of 1080 poison bait. But deer repellent will be used in at least some of the park.
The drop is planned for next month to prevent the spread of bovine TB as well as forest predators, which have been damaging birdlife.
The forest covers a triangle of land adjacent to Tongariro National Park, and between State Highway 4 and SH47, from National Park in the south to near Owhango in the north.
Nick Poutu, technical support officer for the Department of Conservation, said the main objective of the deer repellent was to protect some prime winter deer habitat that was accessible and popular with hunters. -
There's 1080 in our tea, so what's all the fuss about?
OPINION: If you want to learn the truth about 1080 poison read the recent report of the parliamentary commissioner for the environment. Don't go to the web because that's where the mischief-making "1080 National Network" fills all the spaces.
Fanatics such as the 1080 National Network will go to any lengths to stop the poison being dropped on possums and they fill the web with needless fear, exaggeration, myths, and conspiracy theories, while challenging scientific consensus with anecdotes. The network claims that 1080 doesn't work, has unknown dangerous effects and threatens human health. But none of these things are true.
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More 1080 is needed to save our native birds
New Zealand’s native birds are heading for extinction, and if we want to save them, we must use the controversial poison 1080 on a much larger scale, says the country’s senior environmental adviser.
First, a roll-call of the nearly extinct: already gone from the wild on our three main islands are the kakapo little spotted kiwi, hihi and the North and South Island saddlebacks. -
'Drop more poison to save our forests'
Forests will become silent expanses, empty of native birds, unless the 1080 poisoning programme is stepped up, the environment watchdog warns.
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright will publish a hard-hitting report today, warning that, unless 1080 is used over larger areas of the mainland, kiwi could vanish from unprotected areas within a generation. -
Pest control turning tide for giant snail population
Populations of a giant native snail species, which were in decline, are improving thanks to pest control work being carried out by the Department of Conservation in recent months.
The snail, Powelliphanta marchanti, is one of the country's largest snails, with their shells measuring up to 7cm long.
DOC biodiversity ranger Stephen Robson said the species was relatively uncommon but there was a pocket of them in the tip of the north-west Ruahine Range: "They're declining throughout the country, mostly due to habitat destruction." -
Public support for Ulva Island poison drop
A planned aerial drop of poison on Ulva Island has received overwhelming support from the public after submissions were heard by Environment Southland councillors at a consents hearing yesterday.
The hearing was held at the regional council to listen to support and opposition to the Department of Conservation's proposed aerial drop of 3.7 tonnes of brodifacoum-laced bait over the 263ha island, in Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island.
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Eradicating TB from the Hauhungaroa Range
May 19, 2011 - The Animal Health Board (AHB) will begin aerial bovine tuberculosis (TB) control in the Hauhungaroa Range this week. This control work is weather dependent and follows the recent application of non-toxic cereal pellets to attract possums to the toxic bait.
The Hauhungaroa Range aerial operation is the first of several targeted areas across New Zealand, where the AHB will endeavour to eradicate TB from wildlife, mainly possums, over the next 15 years.
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1080 in action - Local Concern
Mike Morrison’s not the sort to sit around and wait for something to happen. So when possums started killing a beautiful forest remnant next door, he and his neighbours fought back. But as they found out, possums are no pushover.
When the rata forest behind his Coromandel farm succumbed to possums, Hikuai farmer Mike Morrison (L) rallied neighbours like Barbara Earnshaw (R) to form the Hikuai-Wharekawa Community Possum Control Scheme. “What we have here is unique,” says Morrison. “I’ve never seen rata forest like it.” -
Big response to call for pest control contractors
A nationwide call by the Animal Health Board (AHB) for potential new possum and ferret ground control contractors has returned nearly 100 responses.
The AHB’s aim is to enhance its pool of pre-qualified contractors across New Zealand that can be called upon to apply for specified ground control work.
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Forests dying as kereru numbers fall
Our already silent forests are dying.
Scientists have proved for the first time the alarming rates of decline in regeneration of native tree species that rely on kereru, or native pigeons, to disperse seeds.
In two forests, they have found regeneration has fallen by up to 84 per cent over two years. However, they fear the problem could be far worse in other areas in which bird populations are much lower.
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Possum's 'ice-cream' protected in wire cages
"It's like Kapiti ice-cream to possums" is how DOC biodiversity assets ranger Emily King describes the sweet-nectared flowers and body of one of New Zealand's most rare plants.
Dactylanthus is found only in New Zealand and is the country's only completely parasitic flowering plant.
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World First Stoat Poison Will Strengthen Protection For Native Birds
A new toxin for the control of mammalian pests, thought to be the first registered in the world for at least twenty years, has been developed in New Zealand.
Its use will strengthen the ability of pest control agencies to better control stoats, and feral cats, according to Department of Conservation scientist Dr Elaine Murphy, who has been working on its development.
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Environews - Audio
Radio Live’s Graeme Hill discusses biological control of possums with Dr Janine Duckworth and how this could eventually reduce the need for conventional possum control. This research has been funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, the Animal Health Board, Landcare Research and the National Research Centre for Possum Biocontrol.
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Worries over feral animal release
Concern is growing among environmental agencies about the deliberate release of feral animals in Southland.
Environment Southland senior biosecurity officer Dave Burgess said populations of feral pigs and deer have spiked in some parts of the region, but outside their typical territories, indicating "illegal liberations''.
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People power makes the difference
The future of New Zealand's native birds and bush is up to the general public, says the country's top conservation academic.
Emeritus Professor Sir Alan Mark spoke in Nelson on Tuesday night as part of the Royal Society's 2011 Charles Flemming Lecture Tour.
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Water safe after 1080 drop
Aerial dispersal of 1080 pellets from helicopters is the most efficient and cost-effective way of deploying the pesticide in inaccessible areas, but public concerns persist. One concern is over potential contamination of water supplies following aerial drops, despite 20 years of research that shows this is very unlikely.
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Concern over fall in bird numbers
New Zealand's native forests are changing for ever more as falling native bird numbers drive the loss of native plants reliant on them for pollination.
Joint research by Auckland and Canterbury University scientists released this week warns of a cascading effect on native biodiversity as bird numbers continue to decline.
The Department of Conservation said it was aware of the issue and the research supports its pest control work.
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Opossum on Trial
An interesting piece of history - a page taken from the 1923 Evening Post.
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Native birds will die out without help
New Zealand's native forests are falling silent as unprotected native bird populations rapidly decline from predation, says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright.
"Kiwi populations in areas of the conservation estate where no pest control is carried out are declining on average at a rate of 6 per cent a year.
"At this rate any given population will halve in 12 years."
Dr Wright said her comments stem from her office's investigation into the use of 1080 poison and its alternatives.
Her final report is due out in April.
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Rats threaten endangered birds
Endangered birds in one of New Zealand's leading wildlife reserves are under threat again after a small population of rats was found on "rat-free" Ulva Island.
Twelve rats have been found in traps on the island in the past fortnight, sparking fears for the survival of native wildlife.
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1080 drop hammers rats in Tararuas
Rat numbers have plummeted after a 1080 drop in Tararua Forest Park, the Conservation Department says.
Rodent monitoring before and after last month's "triple hit" aerial pest control programme showed a significant decrease in rat tracking rates in the 30,000-hectare treated zone, Conservation Department Wairarapa manager Chris Lester said.
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Plenty to sing about in the Tararua Forest Park
Rat numbers have plummeted following a 1080 operation as part of Project Kaka, an on-going pest control programme to restore the health of a wide range of wildlife and plant species and control bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the Tararua Forest Park.
“Rat monitoring before and after the operation has shown a significant decrease in rat tracking rates in the 30 000 hectare treated zone,” said Chris Lester, Department of Conservation Wairarapa Area Manager.
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Mohua count stable after 1080 drop
Numbers of the nationally endangered mohua in the Catlins are continuing to stabilise, more than a year on from a poisoning programme to reduce predators.
Department of Conservation staff recently undertook a survey of mohua numbers in the Catlins, with workers in the field reporting there seemed to be plenty of them around, Doc ranger Cheryl Pullar said.
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Kea research confirms worst fears
A kea research project on the West Coast has come up with graphic evidence of stoats and possums killing and eating New Zealand's rare native parrot.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) said that of the 11 kea nests installed with cameras, stoats killed chicks in two of them. They said the footage captured made for grim viewing.
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Encouraging signs in report on aerial 1080
The Environmental Risk Management Authority says real progress has been made in a number of areas surrounding the aerial application of 1080, and that the rules are largely being followed by operators.
In its latest annual report on aerial 1080 operations, the Authority says it intended all aspects of the stricter management regime introduced in 2007 to be subject to public scrutiny.
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Report reinforces effectiveness of aerial 1080 controls
The Animal Health Board (AHB) says the Environmental Risk Management Authority’s (ERMA) Annual Report on the Aerial Use of 1080, released today, shows high standards are being applied to pest control operations.
A significant decrease in incidents and complaints was recorded for the year ended 31 December 2009, with 17 in 2009, compared to 30 in 2008.
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More rows over 1080: it's a dead certainty
The kakariki was named New Zealand's bird of the year in a recent annual poll. Sadly, it is so rare most people wouldn't know one if it landed on their heads. The evidence available suggests, though, that it still exists as a result of 1080 use, not in spite of it.
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Too soon to ban 1080
Finding alternatives to 1080 for pest destruction is a really good idea.
Banning it before those alternatives have been developed and proved effective is not.
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DOC starts 'triple hit' 1080 drop in forest
A "triple hit" 1080 drop has been started in the Tararua Range as the Conservation Department continues to search for a stoat spotted on nearby nature reserve Kapiti Island.
The department and the Animal Health Board have joined forces for the 1080 aerial programme aimed at stoats, rats and possums in a 30,000-hectare area on both sides of the range.
The pests are the three main predators threatening native birds such as kaka, kereru, tui, bellbirds, fantails and riflemen.
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Unlikely allies fight for use of 1080 drops
Farmers and Forest and Bird forged an unlikely coalition to support the Department of Conservation's aerial 1080 drop in Waitutu yesterday.
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New Zealand's top TB experts back from Wales
Two senior Animal Health Board (AHB) executives recently returned from Wales where they have been presenting information on New Zealand’s management of bovine tuberculosis (TB).
Dr Paul Livingstone and AHB Chairman John Dalziell were invited to speak at the Royal Welsh Show by the country’s Chief Vet, Dr Christianne Glossop.
They described New Zealand’s world-leading TB control tactics to Welsh farmers and vets and identified differences between the two nations' programmes. They told farmers that targeted wildlife control must play a greater role in the drive to eradicate the disease from Wales.
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1080 poses low risk to fernbird populations
The Department of Conservation says a West Coast research project has confirmed that 1080 poses only a minimal risk to fernbird populations.
Tim Shaw, DOC’s West Coast Technical Support Officer, said 30 fernbirds were radio tracked through a recent 1080 operation in the Ianthe Forest, 50kms south of Hokitika, with the loss of three birds to poison.
“Some loss of individual birds was anticipated but the results indicate 1080 has a low population impact on this species, particularly as these birds are very good breeders and they are now heading into a breeding season with a much reduced predator threat,” Mr Shaw said.
The research project targeted fernbird habitat in the Ianthe Forest which was part of the Animal Health Board’s programme to protect the dairy, cattle and deer industries in South Westland from TB -infected possums.
Mr Shaw said the 1080-laced pellets used are highly effective against imported mammals, such as possums and rats, but native birds are far less susceptible to the toxin. The cereal pellets are also spiked with cinnamon to deter native birds.
Initially, 36-fernbirds were fitted with miniature transmitters, however, five transmitters were dropped early in the study and a sixth fernbird was killed by a predator early on as well.
Mr Shaw said the research tracked a statistically robust sample of 30-fernbirds through a long dry period following a standard aerial 1080 operation using RS5 cereal baits sown at 2kg per hectare.
“There were 15-days of dry weather following the operation which arguably provided us with a worst case scenario for length of exposure for this species,” Mr Shaw said.
While the benefits from 1080 for fernbirds were not being considered in the study, Mr Shaw said it was reasonable to expect benefits to those proven for similar native species such as bush robin. “Bush robin have a broadly similar ecology to fernbirds and a study of bush robins has shown a 700% increase in fledgling success in 1080 areas - despite an initial mortality of around ten percent of birds," Mr Shaw said.
The final analysis of the results of this research will include recommendations of what further research is required, Mr Shaw said.
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NIWA scientists alleviate concern over 1080
NIWA scientists have found little cause for concern about the possibility of 1080 contamination in streams. This finding was part of a detailed investigation on the West Coast, during August last year. The study, which coincided with planned aerial bovine tuberculosis (TB) control operations in the area, tested whether 1080 was likely to leach from possum baits.
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NIWA scientists alleviate concern over 1080
NIWA scientists have found little cause for concern about the possibility of 1080 contamination in streams. This finding was part of a detailed investigation on the West Coast, during August last year. The study, which coincided with planned aerial bovine tuberculosis (TB) control operations in the area, tested whether 1080 was likely to leach from possum baits.
“Under the worst-case scenario of rainfall after an aerial bait drop, the tests found the amount of 1080 leached and detected in a stream during and following rainfall was extremely small. If leaching does occur, it is likely to be within the first few hours of rainfall and will result in concentrations less than the prescribed Ministry of Health drinking water standards,” says NIWA scientist Dr Alastair Suren.
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Tests show no 1080 in West Coast water supplies
Every water sample taken on the West Coast as a result of landowner consultation has come back clear of 1080. The samples were extracted by an independent company and analysed by Landcare Research.
“The Animal Health Board (AHB) can report that no 1080 residue was found in any of the water samples,” says Chris Pullen, AHB West Coast/Tasman Programme Manager.
“More than 70 samples were taken to reassure landowners that the measures used to determine exclusion zones work effectively. The samples were taken within 24 hours of the completion of the aerial bovine tuberculosis (TB) control operations.
“They were then delivered to Landcare Research and tested for 1080 residue of which none was found.
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'Killing protects trees'
Killing possums helps protect native trees, a $1.2 million study has found.
The Landcare Research study undertaken for the Department of Conservation (DOC) found that even "modest" possum control would reverse the impact of tree "browse" by the pests and, ultimately, tree mortality.
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Still the most effective method of rabbit control
The Otago Regional Council has little choice in using 1080 to control rabbits, maintains Peter Preston.
Before the advent of 1080, rabbit control was a labour intensive industry, employing large numbers of staff throughout New Zealand, including Otago.
The methods used included shooting, dogging, fumigating, trapping and poisoning with such toxins as strychnine and arsenic on various baits.
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Council urged to change 1080 stance
The Westland District Council's attitude to the use of aerial toxins to control bovine tuberculosis has the potential to cripple the regions $700 million a year pastoral agricultural sector.
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Case for aerial 1080 sound
Contrary to suggestions made, the Department of Conservation's use of 1080 in Otago is measured, closely targeted and critical to the protection of endangered bird species, says Bruce Kyle.
In Otago, the Department of Conservation's use of aerial 1080 is focused mainly on protection of endangered bird species in two beech forest systems - the Dart Valley and the Catlins Forest. 1080 is used in these areas during beech mast (seeding) years every two to four years, when rat and stoat numbers spike. -
Address to Forest and Bird AGM, 28 June 2010
"The mainland, however, remains a challenge where our weaponry against pests is limited. Without biodegradable 1080 to hold the line, our firepower would be severely weakened. Your support for the use of biodegradable 1080 is greatly valued - particularly at a time when the voice of opposition is getting louder and we can not yet offer a practical alternative that would eliminate the use of toxins. The use of biodegradable 1080 to knock down populations of rats, possums and stoats allows 7 out of 10 kiwi chicks to survive - as opposed to letting 9 out of 10 die. This message is justification in itself for its use, as is the ongoing approval from ERMA, after an extensive investigation, to distribute it from the air. I also want to get the message across that 1080 is not just 1080 - it is biodegradable 1080."
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1080 Teka: The Ten Myths of 1080
1080 Teka: The Ten Myths of 1080
Isn’t 1080 dangerous and a risk to human health.
The only danger from an1080 aerial operation is if somebody picked up a pellet and popped it in their mouths. Why would you do that? 1080 use in NZ is carefully regulated by the Environmental Risk Management Authority, and the Ministry of Health. There have been no deaths from any DOC or AHB operations. Like all poisons, even natural ones, care must be taken in their use, and that is true of the rat poison you may use around home. By contrast 31 hunters have been shot accidentally by other hunters in the past 30 years. Hunters are more at risk in the bush from fellow hunters than from 1080.
But critics say we are poisoning our waterways.
One of the strongest arguments in defence of 1080 is that there have been well over 2400 test samples taken of 1080 in water and the results show no need for concerns on human health. Nobody has ever been poisoned in New Zealand by drinking water in the wake of an aerial 1080 drop and the critics have no evidence at all to the contrary. While it is true that 1080 takes longer to breakdown in cold temperatures there is no evidence to show that this leads to human health being at risk. Of course operations have to be well managed to ensure human health is not at risk.
Critics also say we are poisoning our landscapes
There is no evidence to support this claim at all.1080 pellets break down in two ways, the pellets themselves degrade in the open and the 1080 inside the pellets also breaks down. There is no long term accumulation of 1080 in the soil There are plants in the bush which are poisonous. It often depends on the dose rate, after all, the active ingredient in 1080 occurs in your Tea!
1080 drops kill many birds including our endangered native species…
The last 50 years of use of 1080 in NZ has been accompanied by a constant programme of study, improvement and reduction in possible risk to birds. Claims of massive losses of birds are not substantiated by studies or field observations by skilled observers. The benefits of 1080 far outweigh a small loss of wildlife which may occur. Why would we keep using 1080 otherwise? DOC staff see these benefits after every 1080 operation. Landcare scientist Dr John Innes estimates that we lose 25 million birds every year to pests and predators. That is the real tragedy of the New Zealand bush and birdlife.
1080 is killing kiwi our national icon
Quite the reverse. Over 200 kiwi have been monitored throughout aerial 1080 operations and there have been no deaths from 1080. Indeed aerial 1080 can help save kiwi. Tongariro Forest Kiwi Sanctuary is a 20,000 ha area for kiwi protection. Stoats are a main agent of decline and 95% of kiwi chicks are killed by stoats in uncontrolled areas. Aerial 1080 operations kill rats as well as possums, and stoats feed on rats. If an operation is done well, it can take out most of a stoat population in a very short period of time. Before the 2006 Tongariro operation only one of the monitored kiwi chicks survived to a weight where it might defend itself from stoat attack. Following the pest control operation the survival rate was 64% - 13 out of 21 of the monitored population.
There are still 70 million possums out there, just as there were twenty years ago and so possum control programmes are not working.
This is simply not true. Landcare Research’s 2009 figures show that the numbers of possums has dropped to an estimated 30 million, with a significant part of the reduction coming from control operations. It is not a numbers game It is a matter of pest numbers in a particular area, what damage they are doing, and the best way of managing them. Recent aerial 1080 operations have routinely achieved almost total local elimination of possums, rats and stoats.
We don’t need to use poisons we can do it all by trapping
No we can’t. DOC uses a toolkit approach to pest control. It depends on how challenging the country is. Trapping can be the best option in open country with good access. In a recent operation in South Westland t ground control was $50/ha (if you could access this difficult country) and the cost of aerial 1080 was $17/ha. DOC is flexible and uses the best method for an individual site. Trapping also has its downside. The use of leg traps virtually wiped out kiwi in Hawkes Bay and weka and kea can still get caught in them.
Possum fur is fetching over $100 per kilo…our fur manufacturers can’t get enough for their consumers.1080 poison is wasting this resource…
DOC’s ground control possum contractors are free to recover possums for fur. Some do and others don’t. That is their choice. But it is not a substitute for aerial 1080 and in the places where we use aerial, it is very difficult for trappers to get the numbers down to the low levels DOC requires. There are over 3 million hectares of conservation land not under possum control and hunters can get a permit and recover fur there The fact is that the fur price is still not high enough to encourage trappers to supply a lot more fur .
NZ uses over 4 tonnes of pure 1080 poison. The amount of pure 1080 poison in one single operation, is sufficient to kill up to 650000 people.”
Talk about trying to frighten people .The good news is that nobody in New Zealand has ever died from an aerial 1080 poison operation! So the figure is just silly. This example is about as sensible as saying there are millions of bullets on sale in gun shops, and they could kill lots of people. Yes they could, but they don’t, because most people are responsible gun owners.
New Zealand is the only country in the world still using this poison.
Not it is not, a number of other countries including the United States and Australia use it. The reason why it works so well in NZ is that we only have two native land mammals but lots of introduced pest ones, and 1080 works very well on them.
Please note: Teka is a maori word meaning bullshine!
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Farm backlash to hunters' stance
Farmers are threatening to play hardball if deerstalkers continue their blanket opposition to 1080.
The New Zealand Deerstalking Association has told its regional branches to oppose Environment Canterbury's 1080 consent application. The organisation holds a policy of rejecting 1080 applications on principle, but Haldon Station owner Paddy Boyd said the deer stalking community's response had been "unreasonable".
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1080 bomb hoax a 'terrorist act'
A Taupo 1080 poison contractor has called a bomb hoax at his company's depot a "terrorist act" and labelled protesters "out of control".
Epro managing director Roger Lorigan said unknown people jumped the fence at the company's Broadlands Rd depot on Thursday and left a "suspicious package" on machinery used to load 1080 pellets into bags.
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Plans set for 1080 'triple hit' to control pests
Proponents of 1080 have issued images of a rat and a possum gorging on baby birds before a planned "triple hit" poison drop operation to eradicate pests.
"It's like, `the dinner bells are ringing guys – come on in'," Nga Manu Nature Reserve manager Bruce Benseman said of the photo. "A lot of people who aren't daily associated with the impact of pests and predators – photos like that just bring the reality home."
The Conservation Department and the Animal Health Board have joined forces for a pest eradication programme targeting rats, stoats and possums in the Tararua Range.
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Federated Farmers: Trespass unacceptable
Federated Farmers is concerned about the irresponsible behaviour of some anti-1080 protestors after a number of individuals were arrested at an Animal Health Board 1080 loading site this morning.
"It's absolutely unacceptable behaviour and I'm glad the police were called, but this isn't the first we've heard about 1080 protestors causing trouble," says Donald Aubrey, Federated Farmers game and pest management spokesperson.
"One of our West Coast members called up recently to say that anti-1080 campaigners had threatened to poison his stock and had threatened him personally and he's not the only one.
"It's a real concern to see this small group of anti 1080 campaigners causing so much trouble.
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Pro-1080 alliance
Farmers and conservationists have created an unlikely alliance to promote 1080 in the face of growing opposition on the West Coast.
Federated Farmers, with 26,000 members, and Forest and Bird, with 40,000, have joined forces in the Pest Control Education Trust.
It has written to all West Coast district councillors, referring them to a pro-1080 website. The trust also called for the Westland District Council to show “real leadership” and make decisions based on the facts, rather than be swayed by “emotive but misinformed arguments”.
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Call for West Coast Council to focus on the facts
The Pest Control Education Trust today called for the Westland District Council to show real leadership on the 1080 issue and make decisions based on the facts - scientific and economic – rather than be swayed by emotive but misinformed arguments.
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No practical alternative
It will be a sad day for the birds and bush of New Zealand if 1080 use is banned or severely restricted before a practical alternative is found.
It could also be an expensive and potentially ruinous day for farming if this effective tool against Tb and rabbits is prohibited. The poison, including its distribution from the air, remains vital in the fight against possums.
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Council's stance threatens West Coast economy
Westland district councillors need to consider whether they want to go down in history as the council that crippled agriculture and biodiversity.
The Animal Health Board (AHB) says that without the ability to use aerial toxins to control bovine tuberculosis (TB) in wildlife, the West Coast will descend into a quagmire of disease from which tourism, biodiversity and agriculture may never recover.
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Maunga Taranaki: 1080 Operation a Success
A supplement to a weekly community newspaper in Taranaki about the success of a recent 1080 operation on Mount Egmont
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Kiwis returning to the Cobb after sustained pest control efforts
Friends of Flora chairwoman Maryann Ewers said her Motueka-based trapping group was pleased about the re-establishment of kiwi within the trap-controlled area. However, she pointed out that the return of the kiwi to the valley was largely a reflection of the success of the 1080 drops on the outer edges of the Cobb.
“The kiwi had enough protection from that so they started spreading out and finding their way back into the valley. Who knows where they are coming from, but their numbers were brought up and we now have to look after them and their young. We’re bringing kiwi back into the Flora too. We’re releasing seven pairs of brown kiwi on 1 May, but first we have to put everything in place and make sure that stoat trapping numbers are low enough so they can breed in safety and survive. Adults can defend themselves against stoats, but when they breed the young ones are the most vulnerable.”
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Editorial: Birds in the bush
The 1080 debate has generated more noise and heat than light over the years.
So entrenched are the two sides – particularly the "anti" camp, which sees the pesticide as indiscriminate, devastating and cruel – that the controversy will not die down until a better way of controlling introduced animal pests becomes available.
Particularly galling to some of the poison's more vociferous opponents is its use by the Government's conservation agency, with the support of environmental lobby groups such as Forest and Bird. Even its users and backers admit that 1080 is not perfect, and they would welcome a more humane and effective replacement. For them, the bottom line is that where 1080 has been used, proof of its efficacy comes quickly. Forest blocks that had been increasingly silent are often alive with bird calls again.
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1080 - the lesser evil?
Conservationists see predators as greater threat to forests than poison, reports Elaine Fisher
It's become a bitter battle, the subject of claim and counter-claim, protests, threats and alleged foul play, but perhaps most bizarre of all is that staunch conservationists are battling for the right to spread poisons in our native forests.
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Where have they all gone?
To the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and those responsible for possum control near the Makaretu River. I have just read my regional council publication and I must say it is full of good positive stuff as usual.
I do, however, wish to lodge a ‘complaint’.
I reckon you’ve robbed my kids of a part of their childhood. Part of what it is - or what it was - to grow up in the Hawke’s Bay countryside.
Where have all the possums gone? -
TB-infected herds fall below 100 for the first time
The number of bovine tuberculosis (TB) infected herds dropped below 100 in March for the first time in the history of New Zealand’s TBfree programme. According to last month’s figures, a total of 91 cattle herds and seven deer herds were infected with bovine TB.
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Sub-optimal tramping breakfasts
For an entertaining and informative comment on 1080, read the Uncle Jacko column in the latest Federated Mountain Clubs Bulletin. See page 48.
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Te Tapui possum control highly successful
An Environment Waikato-managed possum control operation over 2,300 hectares near Matamata has achieved excellent results.
The operation at Te Tapui Reserve, was carried out using 1080 in bait stations, cyanide products and trapping, after consultation with the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association (NZDA), local iwi and the community. The reserve is administered by the Department of Conservation (DoC) with DoC funding this latest round of control.
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Focus on possums and Tb
The public is being invited to an information day on Tuesday to learn about a bovine tuberculosis possum-control operation planned for the Silver Peaks in May-June and the wider issue of pest control....
Meanwhile, traditional adversaries Federated Farmers and the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society have joined forces to educate the public about the importance of controlling mammalian pests, starting with the role and importance of 1080 poison. -
New Zealanders fighting back... a shagging parrot and defending 1080
Tony Peacock, the CEO of Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre has mentioned www.1080facts.co.nz on his blog. Check out the clip from Stephen Fry's 'Last Chance to See' on the kakapo at the end of his post - it's great!
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The Trapping Debates
“Trapping…as confirmed by DOC itself, is the most successful and least expensive possum control strategy.” Is the mantra repeated by Coromandel anti 1080 activists correct? What is this based on?
The annual report of the Peninsula Project of 2007/ 2008 produced some very interesting figures which did appear to show that trapping was the preferred option in a particular situation. The Peninsula Project is a partnership between Environment Waikato, Thames-Coromandel District Council, Department of Conservation and Hauraki Maori Trust Board. The project aims to improve the environment and reduce flood risks affecting communities on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Possum control was planned for the area west of the Coromandel range from Manaia to Koputauaki Bay
Points to note:
- Because of residents concerns with 1080 it was not used in either aerial operations or ground bait stations, this meant the area to be covered was reduced by over 2000ha.
- The increased cost of using an alternative toxin to 1080 had to be borne by the project. Cholecalciferol and its pre-feed is more than seven times the cost of 1080 and its pre-feed bait. Cholecalciferol is also not as effective at dealing with high possum numbers.
- 2005ha of less topographically challenging land was let as three trapping contracts.
- Trapping did prove to be the most cost effective tool on this more accessible land but remember…we did not use 1080…the area had to be reduced…some of the toxin tools available were expensive and trapping got the easier country!
- The area trapped was deliberately chosen to give the trappers the best chance of success. The area being a commercial forest was well roaded, of easier terrain and being predominantly pine forest the area had a more open understorey.
- At $35/ha this trapping block was still marginally more expensive than an aerial operation. The price of the trapping can not be compared to the bait station operations as they were in some very rugged terrain with dense vegetation requiring considerable track cutting. We further reduced the area trapped due to the low numbers of tenderers for the work
- You can’t generalise throughout the country from just one example, especially when 1080 was ruled out as being part of the mix.
We do need to challenge this mantra that trapping can do it all. It can’t but it can make a valuable contribution.
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The Toolkit Concept
The department’s whole approach is that pest control methods are part of a toolkit and we need the freedom to manage.
- There will be types of country where it is essential that aerial 1080 is used, both for cost efficiency and quality of coverage, as well as staff safety. To remove this option makes it impossible to control vast areas of challenging country. It would also imperil a number of associated ground control operations, which rely on aerial 1080 for the bluffs and gorges of what has been richly described as “Mongrel Country!” (in terms of access, not beauty.)
- There will be other areas where the costs are much closer and either aerial or ground control can do the job. This has to be a decision for local staff.
- And there will be areas where ground control is clearly more cost effective and can do the job better, and this includes the use of trapping as well as poisons.
DOC’s emphasis is on results. If contractors feel they can do the job better with one form of toxin over the other, or by sole use of trapping, then DOC will judge them on their performance, including cost and quality. Remember that half the department’s annual pest control is done by ground operations, and in the case of the Animal Health Board around 80% of their operations are ground control. -
Council endorses 1080 use
The use of 1080 to control feral animals was endorsed by Waitomo District Council last week.
Following presentations from the Animal Health Board and Environment Waikato, the council voted to support use of the controversial poison by EW’s biosecurity wing to control bovine TB. EW biosecurity manager Peter Russell told the council that the regional pest management strategy identified 59,000ha in the Mokauiti, Aria, Mahoenui and Piopio areas for pest control work.
“EcoFX won the contracts for all six areas and has completed about 60% of the area with very good results,” he says.
The regional council’s pest control work is almost totally ground based. Some 5% is aerial. Of the ground work, about 10%-15% uses 1080 as its primary tool. “We use trapping, toxins – anything that is legal and humane,” says Mr Russell. “We are comfortable and open to all methods, and will respect the wishes of the landowner if they ask for a different method to the one suggested. If that happens, the landowner is responsible for any additional costs.” -
Debunking another 1080 myth
It was stated that:
"If you magnify a 1080 pellet you will find they are quite poreous (!). As the pellet cures the water comes to the surface and evaporates. As the 1080 prefers to remain with the water it tends to come to the surface with it. As the water evaporates, the 1080 crystallises on the surface of the pellet where it is exposed to being ground of (! in the handling, ending up in the bottom of the bag. If your pellets are still crisp and intact the dust at the bottom of bag will be well over your 0.15%"
The manufacturers of the pellets responded:
“The 1080 concentration of dust has previously been tested and found to be the same concentration as the bait material from whence it came. There is no evidence to suggest that the concentration of 1080 on the surface of baits increases as the bait cures and loses moisture, nor is there any evidence to suggest that a re-distribution of 1080 within the pellet occurs as water vapour is lost from the pellet.
If there was only 0.1% (25 grams) of dust in a 25kg bag and this contained 70% 1080 (as the person has suggested it might), there would be 17.5g of 1080 in the 25g of dust. There is only 37.5g of 1080 in a whole 25kg bag of pellets so if the dust contains 17.5 grams of 1080, the remaining material (pellets) would have only 20g in 24,975g of pellets - a toxicity of only 0.08% instead of 0.15%. Assays carried out on samples taken throughout the life cycle of baits however, show unequivocally that the design toxicity is in fact achieved and maintained until the bait is applied.
These findings pretty well bury the notion of 1080 re-distribution within baits and the suggestion that the dust in bags is more toxic than the pellets.”
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Tararanki 1080 operation knocks possums to record lows
Initial results indicate possum numbers in Egmont National Park have plummeted after last month’s successful 1080 operation – providing a precious lifeline for local forests and vulnerable bird species in the park.
The Department of Conservation treated more than 30 thousand hectares of National Park with cereal baits containing biodegradable 1080 in mid-February. The operation targeted possums and predators such as rats and stoats threatening forests and vulnerable species within the park boundaries.
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Whio make new homes on mountain
Egmont National Park has five new permanent residents after the release of little whio ducks into the wild last week.
It is whio, or Blue Duck Awareness Month, and the Department of Conservation says another six young birds, one male and five females, will soon be released.
"The six returning within the next couple of weeks are from eggs taken from the nests of two of the park's whio earlier in the year.
"These six ducklings have been raised at Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre and, after the recent 1080 operation, they'll return to a park environment with more of their kind and a lot less of the troublesome stoats."
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Beck to make complaint over TVNZ's 1080 allegations
Beck Helicopters is taking action over allegations it broke the rules during last month's 1080 drop in Egmont National Park.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has cleared the company of any fault during the 1080 drop, owner Alan Beck said yesterday.
Mr Beck is complaining to the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) about a One News lead story featuring allegations helicopters flew outside permitted areas and dropped pellets on Department of Conservation contractors without warning.
He is also planning to sue Julie Martul, who gave video footage to One News and to the CAA with an accompanying complaint, for defamation.
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DOC: Logs disprove 1080 claim
The Department of Conservation is rejecting claims by two Taranaki contractors who said they were not warned before being showered with 1080 pellets while working near Egmont National Park.
Brothers Lewis and Dan Beattie were on a 12-man crew spraying weeds in Lucy's Gully, near Oakura, when the pellets landed on them from a helicopter.
The men, who admit they are anti-1080, said they were phoned about the drop only after the incident happened.
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Pest control & some new 1080 videos
Some interesting videos about our use of 1080 poison
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Federated Farmers busts 1080 myths in its latest magazine
In the lead feature of the latest edition of the National Farming Review, currently being posted to Federation members, Federated Farmers has laid down the gauntlet to anti-1080 groups.
"1080 works but the growing mythology about it doesn't," says Don Nicolson, President of Federated Farmers.
"The article in the summer edition of the National Farming Review was independently written by ecological journalist Dave Hansford. He makes it very clear that unless we want to kiss our economy and native fauna and flora goodbye, then 1080 is the tool to use. -
Return of the native
Ten years ago, a couple of determined conservationists made a vow: to bring the birds back to one of Nelson's most popular wilderness spots. Geoff Collet reports on the Friends of Flora.
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If we lose 1080, we're shot: Butcher
Rabbit numbers could get out of control in Otago if any of the most effective tools used to curb their numbers is lost, the Otago Regional Council has warned.
"If we lose 1080, we're shot, well and truly," Cr Duncan Butcher said at a compliance committee meeting this week
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Rata 'best in 20 years'
Pukeiti's northern rata are in their best condition in more than 20 years, says curator Andrew Brooker.
"They are looking the healthiest I have ever seen them," he says of the vibrant red flowers the trees are famous for.
There are more than 30 rata trees at Pukeiti and Mr Brooker says they are thriving, thanks to well-managed pest control.
"We still have to deal with possums and rabbits, but there are far fewer numbers than 50 years ago."
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Pork and puha are still on the menu
Dr Shaun Ogilvie, Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Management at Lincoln University and his team have studied the uptake and persistence of 1080 in watercress and puha; plants that are culturally important to Maori.
Their research showed that there is a negligible risk of humans being poisoned from consuming either puha or watercress plant material that may have taken up 1080 from baits after an aerial 1080 operation.
“To put it in practical terms,” said Dr Ogilvie, “at the maximum levels we found in watercress (in parts per billion) a 70 kg person would need to eat over two tonnes of the affected watercress at one sitting to have a 50% chance of dying from 1080 poisoning. The puha results were even lower.”
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Rabbit strategy is 'co-operation'
Farmers and lifestyle owners need to co-operate to reduce rabbit populations in Central Otago and avoid tough penalties in the future.
Otago regional councillor Duncan Butcher said no-one had yet been fined under the Biosecurity Act for rabbit control, but non-compliance after 2012 could be costly.
The council's pest management strategy will be introduced in 2012, which it hopes will reduce rabbit populations to a level 3 category of "infrequent sightings". -
Support for 1080 operation
The Southland Conservation Board has thrown its weight behind the use of an aerial 1080 drop in the Waitutu forest, claiming there is no alternative.
The Department of Conservation wants to drop cereal bait over 25,000 hectares of forest and has lodged a resource consent application with Environment Southland.
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Project Kaka to restore birds
The Tararua ranges should resound with bird song as the result of a new pest control programme to be undertaken by the Department of Conservation.
Starting in spring next year, rats, stoats and possums will be controlled every three years in a 22,000ha belt across Tararua Forest Park from Otaki Forks to Holdsworth Rd end.
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It's 1080 hysteria - again
Further evidence has emerged of just how nutty the anti-1080 brigade has become.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organisation that demands that forests be managed to "meet the social, economic, ecological, cultural and spiritual needs of present and future generations", wants falcons to be used to hunt possums in New Zealand.
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Nuts to 1080 nutters, yes to bush and beef
It seems there's no nutters like the anti-1080 nutters. When dogs started dying on Auckland's North Shore beaches they clogged the talkback radio lines.
The culprit turned out to be a sea slug, but that didn't stop them.
Stirred up by a deerstalkers' film doing the rounds that makes exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims about 1080's effect on wildlife and waterways, these nutters are becoming a serious threat to our society. That's because they are beginning to be taken seriously by people who should know better. -
Mohua on the move
Sixty threatened yellowhead living near Glenorchy are on the move, with hopes of rebuilding numbers and saving the species.
Department of Conservation staff and volunteers caught the first 30 yellowheads, or mohua, in the Dart Valley yesterday, taking them by helicopter to Secretary Island in Fiordland.
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It's so hard being a snail
Their admirers reckon they should be the flagship native animal for Nelson, but others may struggle to see what the appeal of a large, meat-eating snail really is. Geoff Collett looks at the plight of the powelliphanta.
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Good result for Mt Arthur kea
The results of a scientific 1080 poisoning programme in Kahurangi National Park announced today are great news for Department of Conservation staff and Kea Conservation Trust members working to protect the country's declining kea populations.
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Feathered villians
An experienced Greater Wellington Regional Council protection officer says he has never seen anything like it since the days when possums were a significant problem.
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Council shuns call to end 1080 drops
Environment Southland has heaped scorn on another council's call to abolish aerial drops of controversial poison 1080.
Environment Southland yesterday responded to a resolution by the Taupo District Council, which has decided to stop aerial drops and develop a new possum eradication and trapping programme. -
1080 needed for Mackenzie rabbits
Aerial 1080 poisoning is returning to the Mackenzie Basin after a 10-year absence as farmers confront growing rabbit problems.
Populations of RHD (calicivirus) resistant rabbits are emerging in the high country.
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Poison pays off for endangered NZ bird
A Department of Conservation experiment with low density 1080 poisoning is paying off
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Alien possums gobbling New Zealand forests, birds
With its bushy tail, tall ears, and pink nose, Australia's brush-tailed possum could be the poster child for cute critters.
But here in New Zealand—where millions of the animals eat native plants, trees, and birds by the bushel—the marsupials are possums non grata.
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Numb-nut 1080 activists vandalise award winning Fiordland National Park
Horribly misguided (or downright ignorant) anti-1080 campaigners have allegedly turned their sights on a successful community-supported and award-winning poison-free trapping programme in Fiordland National Park.
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Mammal mafia waging war on native birdlife
New Zealand's "mammal mafia" has been accused of devouring more than 26.5 million birds in native forests a year.
And the death toll of native birds is even higher when attacks in other habitats are included.
Hamilton-based Landcare Research scientist John Innes tallied the damage wrought by rats, possums and stoats, who he called a gang of mammal mafia, to illustrate the threat to the country's native wildlife. -
Birdlife explosion as possum numbers slashed
A dramatic drop in the estimated possum population is good news for native birds.
New research shows possum numbers have plummeted from between 60 and 70 million during the 1980s, to about 30 million.
The Wellington region recorded the biggest drop, of 87 per cent.
The region has about 200,000 possums, but without possum control the number would have been between 1.3 and 1.5 million.
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