1080: The facts
  • Home
  • The Facts
    • 1080 fact sheet
    • Overview of 1080
    • The science of how 1080 works
    • Facts and figures >
      • The predators
      • The victims
    • Conservation
    • Bovine TB
    • 1080 bait and delivery
    • Alternatives to 1080
    • Regulation of 1080 >
      • Changes to 1080 regulation
  • 1080 at work
    • News
    • Case studies
    • From the field
    • Tiakina Ngā Manu
  • Research + Resources
    • Research
    • Reports
    • Resources >
      • FACTS: in pictures
      • NZ predator control map
  • Projects
    • 1080 and Water
    • 1080 and Fish
    • 1080 and Dogs
    • The facts of the missing rock wren
    • 1080 and Soil
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Links
  • The Trust
    • About the Trust
    • News from the Trust
    • Our supporters
    • Contact Us

DOC opts for more intense 1080 programme after rat population shows resilience to initial 'mega mast' drops

6/8/2019

0 Comments

 
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. 
This year's "mega mast" is providing abundant food for rats, making predator control more challenging than ever, DOC’s Tiakina Ngā Manu Programme Manager Peter Morton said today in a statement.
​
DOC has completed three out of more than 20 aerial 1080 operations planned across New Zealand. But recent monitoring of the Cobb area in Kahurangi National Park showed a rat survival rate of nearly 20 per cent - above what was hoped. 

“The biggest beech mast for more than 40 years is underway in South Island forests and the exceptional amount of seed means rats don’t need to travel far for food and their home ranges have shrunk,” says Mr Morton. “It also means any gaps in bait coverage is leaving pockets of rodents that are not exposed to the bait.

“Despite killing an estimated 80 per cent of rats in the Cobb area, the surviving rats will continue to breed and increase in numbers until the seed germinates or rots in spring."

DOC is reassessing predator control for the rest of Kahurangi National Park, of which the Cobb block is just one fifth, and is planning to apply 1080 bait more intensively over a smaller area of the park than originally planned to better protect high priority areas.

The agency's technical advisory team has also revised bait application for the next three scheduled predator control operations at Arthur's Pass, the Clinton and Eglinton rivers and Te Maruia to ensure more even bait is spread at an increased rate of 2 kilograms per hectare, up from 1.5 kilograms.

“These adjustments aim for a complete bait coverage to reach all rodents given the elevated levels," says Mr Morton. "Once we have the results from these operations, we will evaluate and adjust our approach as necessary.”

DOC says the more thorough 1080 bait application has a high chance of success but will increase costs and flying time and require longer periods of fine weather to complete operations.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All
    1080
    1080 Operation
    Aerial 1080
    Bats
    Battle For Our Birds
    Bovine TB
    Catlins
    Conservation
    Deer Hunting
    DOC
    Egmont National Park
    EPA
    Federated Farmers
    Forest & Bird
    Government
    Ground Control
    Hawkes Bay
    Hunua
    Kahurangi
    Kea
    Kiwi
    Kokako
    Mohua
    Mt Taranaki
    OSPRI
    PCE
    Pests
    Possums
    Rangitoto
    Regulation
    Research
    Rock Wren
    TBfree
    Trout
    Wairarapa
    Whio

supporting organisations

This website is operated by the Pest Control Education Trust
About the Trust | Contact the Trust