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Native bird populations could be completely wiped out in some areas hit by this year's mega mast.
It's set to be the biggest seeding event in more than 40 years, but half-a-million hectares of forest will receive no 1080 predator control.
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Orange-fronted parakeets will still get protection but some mohua populations miss out as DoC reduces the area of forest being covered by 1080 poison. David Williams reports.
Predator-killing aerial 1080 poison drops planned across the country will be shrunk by 100,000 hectares, and cost millions of dollars more, because of the severity of this year’s mega mast. Scientists have begun investigating how to wipe out the last surviving pests in New Zealand's bold bid to rid itself of rats, stoats and possums by 2050.
A new $7.5 million programme, led by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research scientists, aims to overcome what's long been a headache for predator-busting efforts – how to eliminate that final 5 per cent which manage to hang on. The Department of Conservation is concerned after a higher percentage of rats than expected have survived the first 1080 drops intended to battle this years "mega mast".
This year's build-up of the rat population in New Zealand forests can be attributed to unusually high seed production, called a mast, experts have said. An aerial drop of 1080 is set for a large area of the Kahurangi National Park to control a booming rat population.
This year's beech mast, or heavy seed production, is expected to lead to a heavy breeding season for rats taking advantage of the abundant food source. When I last visited a forest frequented by orange-fronted parakeet/kākāriki karaka, there was quiet optimism.
An aerial application of non-toxic baits has begun ahead of an aerial 1080 operation in the Kahurangi National Park.
Department of Conservation communications advisor Trish Grant said non-toxic baits had been distributed across 74,600 hectares of Kahurangi National Park in the Parapara and Gouland Downs operational blocks on Wednesday. New food safety advice for trout fishers
The Department of Conservation wants anglers to be aware of new food safety advice about eating trout caught in areas after aerial 1080 pest control operations. DOC Director National Operations Martin Kessick says DOC has responded to concerns raised by Fish and Game earlier this month and asked MPI to assess the risk to trout consumers if trout ate 1080 baits. The Department of Conservation has begun aerial 1080 drops in the Kahurangi National Park as part of its Battle for our Birds predator control programme.
The predator control is aimed at protecting populations of whio/blue duck, great spotted kiwi, kea, kaka, rock wren/tuke, Powelliphanta snails and long-tailed bats/pekapeka DoC scientist says result helped breeding birds but is disappointed some pests survived.
A major 1080 poison offensive succeeded in wiping out 95 per cent of rats and 85 per cent of stoats in targeted forests around the country, but the result was still below what a Department of Conservation scientist was hoping for. As part of a $21 million project dubbed The Battle for Our Birds, DoC staff launched 27 aerial pest control operations between last August and February over hundreds of thousands of hectares of beech forest, mainly in the South Island. |
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