​The University of Auckland's Dr Cate Macinnis-Ng makes a case for why we can't leave our vulnerable native species to fend for themselves in forests where predators roam.

For more than 30 years Project Crimson has led efforts to save New Zealand's pōhutukawa and rātā trees, which were on the point of extinction in the 1980s.
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Now, the organisation is supporting the use of 1080 to control the introduced animal pests that it says are wreaking havoc on the country's unique biodiversity.

A Taranaki conservation group will use the 1080 poison to kickstart a widespread, year-long pest destruction programme on Egmont National Park.
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Taranaki Mounga plans a two stage "remove and defend" assault using the toxin beginning in March.

The Department of Conservation says a recent 1080 drop over Northland's Russell Forest has been even more effective than anticipated.
In September Newshub Nation attended the aerial pre-feed operation, where baits not laced with poison were dropped so that rats and possums got used to feeding on them.
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This meant a few weeks later, when the baits containing 1080 were dropped, they decimated the rat and possum populations. Nearly all the rats have been wiped out and 80 percent of the possums have been killed according to DOC monitoring.