Forest & Bird Tag: Pest Control

Tawaki on "Pest control, How to do it."

Tawaki — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:20:51 +0000

We visited Totaranui in the heart of Abel Tasman National Park last year, Kukupa. On the Anapai Beach Track I found all the feathers of a banded rail just like the one that you have caught here. It had been killed and eaten by a feral cat or stoat. So the answer is that you need to do something to control pests but the techniques need to be such that they don't kill the very thing that we are trying to save. Tragically, I have also seen weka killed in the stoat traps set in the Milnethorpe Scenic Reserve in Golden Bay where weka are now endangered. This "by catch" risk is one of the reasons why I much prefer bait stations to trapping especially in the places where I live where there are always very smart and inqusitive kea around.

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:22:24 +0000

The very birds we are trying to protect! Absolutley gutting!! I was told to make the holes on the DOC200 stoat traps bigger then the DoC standeds, (private property) so you catch hedghogs. What a mistake!

black tomtit on "Kiwi (and other birds??) protection"

black tomtit — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:17:26 +0000

Beautiful poem. It really touched me. I was horrified to read that 60 kiwi were found killed by dogs in Northland and that the life expectancy of kiwi there is only 14 years not 60 thanks to uncontrolled dogs. It really worries me that dog owners always seem to think there dog would never kill anything even though dogs are predators.

Tawaki on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Tawaki — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:42:12 +0000

The estimated ship rat population throughout this forest is 10 rats per hectare. A 98% -100% kill of rats across the whole Abbey Rocks forest will therefore kill around 100,000rats. That's an awful lot of dead rats!. Based on all the recent large scale aerial 1080 operations such as Waitutu 25,000ha in October 2010 and Okarito 30,000ha in September 2011, there will also have been an incredible kill of most of the stoats and the possums in the forest. There will now be a huge bounce back in native bird breeding and native forest seed regeneration. If we look at the current political party manifestos about conservation, all including that of the Green Party are promising lots more ground based pest control despite the fact that for vast virgin forests such methods are absolutely hopeless and ineffective and a total waste of taxpayer money. Just imagine what it would be like in the vast, tangled jungle of the Abbey Rocks coastal rainforest ALL IN ONE DAY to try to trap 100,000 rats as well as the thousands of stoats and possums found throughout the forest. Impossible! If you only trap part of the forest and then move on several weeks later to the next part, the pests quickly run from the infested area back into the area that you think you have cleared and you are quickly back to square one! Those parties promising much more extensive ground based pest control and either opposing or staying silent on aerial 1080 pest control methods are therefore actually abandoning our most extensive and precious forests and allowing them to be over run with pests. They are condemning their native birds and vulnerable native plants to oblivion. I recognise that ground based pest control methods have value at a local level by community groups and individuals or for small areas. However to save the big forest areas that we have all fought so hard to save from logging over the last 50 years we need large scale pest control.

Tawaki on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Tawaki — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 09:45:21 +0000

On Thursday October 28 DOC Weheka-South Westland Area Office coordinated the application of 1080 by a fleet of helicopters to control rats, stoats and possums. The pest control was applied across 10,000 hectares of the Abbey Rocks block. This is a vast expanse of World Heritage protected virgin forest lying between the Paringa and Moeraki Rivers, the Tasman seacoast and the Alpine Faultline/ State Highway 6. This forest is currently the most closely ecologically monitored native forest on the West Coast. For the last 3 years teams of researchers have tracked a range of native birds (kaka, kea, morepork, rifleman) through a series of seasons and pest control regimes. There are scores of listening devices and mini cameras set up throughout the forest. The October 28 1080 operation was carried out over the whole forest during Thursday, a superb cloudless day. It comes 3 weeks after a non toxic pre feed was dropped across the whole forest to pre condition the large number of ship rats in the forest to eating the cereal baits. With the application of the poison, people on the ground report a very high rat kill across the forest. Following the operation there was around 48 hours of dry warm weather. This should be sufficient to achieve a high 90% -perhaps 98% - kill of rats and stoats across the whole forest and these predator numbers should remain low for about the next 2 years, allowing a flurry of bird breeding. A drastic reduction in these bird predators is vital to protect all this season's native bird chicks that are at their most vulnerable time right now. Ideally the pest control operation should have occurred at least a month ago but South Westland's regular bouts of wet weather always make planning these operations an inexact science. Thanks DOC for a job well done. We await the post poison pest counts with great interest and of course the bird breeding results. Dr Graeme Elliott of DOC who is coordinating all this scientific work in the Abbey Rocks forest presented his preliminary results at the Forest and Bird Workshop held at Nelson Lakes National Park earlier this month. ATTACHED PHOTO Most of what you can see in this aerial photo was treated with 1080 on October 28 2011 from the seacoast on the left to the mountains to the right. The operation included almost everything here except for the immediate foreground (Knights Point coast to the Moeraki River). This photo gives you a sense of the vast scale of pest control that these helicopter based operations cover in a day. The cost will total about $12 per hectare, a fraction what it would cost to attempt to do this operation on foot even if ground methods were at all feasible here. Remember that the coastal 500metres to 1000metres and north facing hill slopes are a tangle of Kie Kie/Supplejack/Gahnia. It is almost impenetrable on foot.

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:46:53 +0000

Via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/1080facts" rel="nofollow">www.facebook.com/1080facts</a> TVNZ's 'Rural Delivery' programme talks to DOC's Mark Martini and the AHB's Katie Milne about how and why 1080 is used on the West Coast to control invasive mammals and the diseases they spread. You can watch the show on demand here <a href="http://tvnz.co.nz/rural-delivery/video" rel="nofollow">http://tvnz.co.nz/rural-delivery/video</a> (jump to chapter 2). This is a well-produced, informative look at the use of 1080. Of particular interest to me was Mark talking about the cost of using aerial 1080 to control pests in the Otira gorge ($15/ha) with the next cheapest alternative - hand-laid 1080 pellets, which costs $45-$50/ha.

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:32:42 +0000

Via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/1080facts" rel="nofollow">www.facebook.com/1080facts</a> The Environmantal Protection Agency (formerly ERMA) has released its fourth annual report on 1080. The report acknowledges that 1080 is one of the most closely-monitored hazardous substances in New Zealand, and that the agencies using it are going above and beyond the requirements imposed on them to ensure it is being used as safely and effectively as possible. It also recognises the ongoing inves...tment and innovation the main users of 1080 are putting into pest control technology, as well as the continuing improvement in the consultation work being carried out with key stakeholder groups such as Māori and hunters. While there has been an increase in overall breaches this year, it is important to note that the overall number of breaches by operators has almost halved since 2008. However, there has been an eight-fold increase in public breaches since 2008. These include deliberate attempts to sabotage operations and the removal of public warning signs. You can download the full report here: <a href="http://www.epa.govt.nz/Publications/EPA%201080%20AR%202010%20web.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.epa.govt.nz/Publications/EPA%201080%20AR%202010%20web.pdf</a>

Tawaki on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Tawaki — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:16:32 +0000

We can't save our one Tomtit nest from rat predation here in the Moeraki Valley despite a ring of rat traps and bait stations around the nest. However only one catchment south of us in the mighty Landsborough Valley a concerted 13 year duration regular aerial 1080 treatment across the whole valley has saved the endangered Mohua-Yellowhead from extinction. So successful has been the 1080 treatment here in controlling rats that the Landsborough has become the source area for Mohua production to re-populate this species in a range of other sanctuaries including Resolution Island in Fiordland. 60 mohua were caught in the Landsborough and transported to Resolution Island <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/lifestyle/mainlander/5789338/Splash-of-" rel="nofollow">http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/lifestyle/mainlander/5789338/Splash-of-</a> yellow-returns-to-reserve

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:01:48 +0000

Unfortunately, the Māori Party appear to be as ignorant about 1080 as United Future are, if their recent media release in the Waikato Times <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/farming/5803343/Concern-at-rising-cost-of-basic-foods" rel="nofollow">http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/farming/5803343/Concern-at-rising-cost-of-basic-foods</a> is anything to go by “The Maori Party wants to see sustainable alternatives to 1080 for killing pests. It said the land was being poisoned and lakes, rivers and streams damaged. A large-scale trapping programme would be a good alternative because the overseas market for fur and possum products was huge, the party said. Trapping programmes could also bring jobs to contractors in small communities.” The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's report into 1080 <a href="http://www.pce.parliament.nz/assets/Uploads/PCE-1080.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.pce.parliament.nz/assets/Uploads/PCE-1080.pdf</a> found that the vast body of scientific research available conclusively shows that 1080 "does not leave permanent residues in water, soil, plants or animals" (Chapter 6). It also found that trapping "can only ever play a supplementary role on the great majority of the conservation estate" (Chapter7). DOC has produced a public information video "Māori and 1080: Separating Myth From Fact", which highlights the work they do with Māori communities to address the concerns they may have with the impacts of 1080 poison on health, natural resources and the mauri of special places. You can now watch this on YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBjUrSOkBFc" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBjUrSOkBFc</a>

Tawaki on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Tawaki — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:04:31 +0000

Here is the Tomtit nest in our workshop the day before the 4 eggs were destroyed by rats.

Tawaki on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Tawaki — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:12:49 +0000

Yesterday rats destroyed the eggs in our monitored South Island Tomtit nest. On 17 September, a pair of tomtits chose the warm rafters of our workshop and they started building a very elaborate nest. They used a lot of moss, lichen, sticks and even wool. 2.5 weeks later they laid 4 beautiful eggs in the nest. Yesterday (16 October) all the eggs were eaten by a rat. We knew that this year there were heaps of rats around in our podocarp-silver beech forest. DOC's latest Residual Trap Catch shows a September 2011 rat population of 78% RTC (78 rats caught per 100 trap nights) in the South Westland Abbey Rocks forest that surrounds us. Our own project on our own land involves nearly 50 bait stations all loaded with the rodenticide Pest Off and the rats have been going through this at around 25kg per week. We also have rat traps and are catching rats every night. We made a special effort around the tomtit nest with lots of bait and traps. All to no avail and the eggs were destroyed. This small example gives an idea of just how extraordinarily hard it is to try to protect mainland native bird biodiversity on a small scale in a local area using the tools available to ordinary people. Despite all that effort we couldn't save a single tomtit nest. 2 weeks ago, DOC carried out a pre feed of non toxic baits across the whole 10,000ha Abbey Rocks Block. Since then the weather has been bad and the planned 1080 operation across the whole block targetting rats has repeatedly been delayed. The plan now, based on the long range forecast, is to drop the 1080 baits on Thursday and Friday this week,18 days after the pre-feed. Late but not too late. If the 1080 operation is successful it won't be too late for those birds that have lost their first clutch to rats to nest again. However this little example really shows just what native birds are up against in wild New Zealand. The scientists figure of 26 million birds killed by pests each year in NZ sounds huge. Perhaps it is so huge that it just sort of washes over you. You move on to think about something more immediate like rugby or oil spills. The reality is bought home to you when you see that one wrecked tomtit nest and multiply that by millions. For every native bird it is a war zone out there, especially at night when most birds are roosting. We humans bought the pests. We have an obligation to all those birds to do everything possible to control the pests using every tool at our disposal.

MrTheposter on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

MrTheposter — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:01:08 +0000

Based on the information I've seen so far 1080 looks to be the right way to go, and when used in Kea areas, used wisely. A thing that would shut everybody up would be a poison that does not harm birds if eaten. Is this possible? I know for one thing that birds eat berries that us humans can't eat. Humans are mammals - so maybe this could be a solution for the mammal pests too.

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:22:51 +0000

Someone's suggested this looks more like a cat-kill. Does anyone know if you can identify the villain? Lots of tracks in the nearby mud seem to be from stoats.

auckland anne on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

auckland anne — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:39:38 +0000

What you're proposing definitely sounds like what's been going on re restoration around Auckland. Mainland islands and offshore islands and saving key species and re-introducing them gradually (or them self-introducing back to some mainland areas from islands). There'd be an almighty roar from those who want to save whole forests and large habitats, not to mention the farmers who use 1080 to prevent TB spreading. PS With the reference to cities I made above - I was being figurative, not literal. I meant protect the areas with high densities of keas and leave the rest to fend for themselves. You know, like put most of the tax and rate money into Party Central in downtown Auckland and leave the rest of the country to their own devices.....

ethos on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

ethos — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 07:04:42 +0000

Ground based predator control is done extensively outside the cities. The "too rugged to use ground methods" argument is often a myth - take a look at the terrain around Arthurs Pass where aerial 1080 was recently dropped to protect rata - hardly remote. A couple of school kids could have ground baited it on a weekend. (small area and starting literally either side of the highway right next to Otira) <a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/361/July%202011/wc16-otira.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/361/July%202011/wc16-otira.jpg</a> Largely I would suggest a conservation strategy as you note above. Any toxin use in kea habitat must not have significant secondary poisoning characteristics (eg no brodifacoum but cyanide would be OK) and must be carefully presented to prevent bird access to baits .(aerial bad, properly designed stations good) Would I allow 1080 in bait stations in kea areas? Not in winter at least due to longer persistence of toxin and increased risk of secondary poisoning. Cyanide alone would eventually lead to bait shyness so would need rotation with at least one other agent. As far as mainland islands, I say yes it has to be the only way forward with dwindling resources- we simply dont have enough money to protect everything properly, a job badly done can be worse than doing nothing. Our biosystems nationwide cannot get enough protection with ongoing aerial 1080 yet they also cant find equilibrium. Start with mainland and offshore islands, preserve key species in these, reintroduce and locally eradicate pests in other areas over time. This discussion paper on mainland Islands is interesting reading and I find myself agreeing with a fair amount of what it says: <a href="http://www.cybermagic.co.nz/a/download/attachments/720901/20011012.pdf?version=1" rel="nofollow">http://www.cybermagic.co.nz/a/download/attachments/720901/20011012.pdf?version=1</a>

auckland anne on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

auckland anne — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:08:31 +0000

You've never spelled out, in one clear and straightforward blog-post, an alternative that'll protect kea yet which at the same time protects other flora and fauna. You've eluded to it in a number of posts and I think I've pieced it together somewhat. Use different methods of pest-control in different areas, and forget about widespread pest controls of large areas and focus on mainland islands and reserves, if i've interpretted correctly. I'm genuinely interested to hear what method you propose for safeguarding kea from 1080-induced damage. More and intensive ground-based trapping in a limited area around where a lot of keas live (and sacrifice the others?) Hehe - as an Aucklander I should like that idea eh? Just look after the cities and forget the rural areas.

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:47:27 +0000

If we ever needed any reminder abiout why we are putting all that time into trapping stoats on Traherne Island, we got it today when a predated dotterel was found there, Stoat damage....

ethos on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

ethos — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:20:27 +0000

I dont think noticing the number of dead kiwi constitutes criticism of DoC - its a horrible number of dead birds, I did not pass judgement on the manner of their death- your conclusions on my 6 words are entirely your own. It makes me slowly shake my head to re-read some posts on these fora begging for the Okarito poison drops, the same authors then decrying the "tragedy" of significant kea deaths to the aerial 1080 drop. Cheerleading a failed poisoning regime is wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars and causing significant collateral damage. 37 percent survival? We lose.

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:16:45 +0000

Ethos, in case you missed it in your haste to criticise DOC yet again... The overall survival rate across all monitored birds was at least 37% and possibly as high as 57% (if all birds that lost transmitters survived). The comparative survival rate of kiwi in areas with no pest control is around 6%. Which is the bigger number?

ethos on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

ethos — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:00:51 +0000

Thats a lot of dead kiwi.

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:18:47 +0000

Via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/1080facts" rel="nofollow">www.facebook.com/1080facts</a> For anyone who is interested, DOC have have posted the data they supplied Clyde Graf under the OIA regarding both testing of dead kiwi for 1080 residues, and spreadsheets listing the fate of all monitored kiwi, on their website. A quick analysis of the results show that a total of 214 birds were monitored between July 2007 and July 2011. This consisted of 88 chicks (birds under 183 days old at the start of the monitoring period), 60 sub-adults (birds aged 183 days to 4.5 years) and 66 adults (birds over the age of four and a half) were monitored. The overall survival rate across all monitored birds was at least 37% and possibly as high as 57% (if all birds that lost transmitters survived). The comparative survival rate of kiwi in areas with no pest control is around 6%. This means that Clyde Graf is categorically wrong to say 1080 isn't working. The fact is that it is still working at least six times better than no control and probably up to nine times better. The breakdown of survival vs death is as follows: Of the 88 chicks monitored: 28 (31%) survived to the end of the study period (27 survivors reached 183 days old and were therefore recorded as "reached sub-adult status" with only one remaining a chick) 48 (54%) died or were presumed to have died during the monitoring period and are unlikely to have reached sub-adulthood 12 (13.6%) either dropped their transmitters or the transmitter failed Of the kiwi chicks that died, 79% (38 birds) showed signs of predation. Of the 66 adults monitored: 24 (36%) survived to the end of the study period 27 (40%) died 15 (22%) either dropped their transmitters of had them removed Of the adult kiwi that died, 70% (19 birds) showed signs of predation. You can view the raw data here: <a href="http://www.doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media-releases/1080-kiwi-claims-extremely-misleading/" rel="nofollow">http://www.doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media-releases/1080-kiwi-claims-extremely-misleading/</a>

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:04:19 +0000

Should get interesting results from this: Various Auckland F&B branches have supported various research work and proposals put forward by students of ecology. Here's the latest that's come to us: I am a PhD student at Massey Uni, my thesis project is a development of a new method to detect and trap Norway rats (and possibly mustelids) using lab rats as lures. I have special trap cages with DOC 200 traps on one side and a compartment for lab rat on the other so using live lure rats as opposed to food baits). So far I have great results from various Hauraki Gulf island sites;, I now aim to check this methods on post (and ongoing) poisoning campaigns (I will do the same at Shakespear during December)

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:40:22 +0000

Via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/1080facts" rel="nofollow">https://www.facebook.com/1080facts</a> DOC has responded to a media release by the Graf Brothers suggesting 1080 was linked to the death of 89 kiwi in the Tongaroro Kiwi Sanctuary. They explain that the Grafs' 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. The Grafs also fail to point out that chick... survival in this forest more than doubled in each of the two years after the last 1080 operation in 2006 when stoat numbers were very low, compared to years without 1080. The fact is that DOC has monitored more than 280 kiwi both through and after aerial 1080 operations – some for well over a year – and have never lost a single bird to 1080. You can read the full story here: <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1110/S00014/1080-kiwi-claims-extremely-misleading.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1110/S00014/1080-kiwi-claims-extremely-misleading.htm</a> You can read the original here (and also post your outraged responses to the fact that United Future would publish something so utterly vexatious and deliberately misleading!) <a href="http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/forum/topic/321?p=1317#post1317" rel="nofollow">http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/forum/topic/321?p=1317#post1317</a>

Tawaki on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Tawaki — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 06:54:45 +0000

After the 1080 operation the rat and stoat numbers have been reduced to 1% and 0% respectively. This is fantastic news and just what we were after. If you compare the results to the control areas (where no 1080 was laid) the rat numbers have increased dramatically to 95% and stoats present on 23% of tunnel tracking lines. Although the results of our SMI recorded no stoats - it is unlikely that we have eliminated all stoats in our treatment area - but hopefully we have killed a high enough percentage of the population in the kiwi sanctuary, and right around it, to significantly reduce the predation threat. You may have read assertions that if we control the rats then stoats will switch to eating birds - and so 1080 operations are disastrous for forest bird species. As shown by the above results this is not the case and as expected and planned the stoats have been killed-off through secondary poisoning by eating the dead rodents. By taking out the possums as well - we will have had a massive and positive impact in our local forests, and the birdlife will reap the benefits - along with the insects, lizards and bats. The ecosystem will be much healthier as a result and the benefits should last for a while. The link below will take you to a short video that explains the research (ongoing) that supports this approach here on the coast. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09y8uw5tV6o" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09y8uw5tV6o</a>

auckland anne on "Kiwi (and other birds??) protection"

auckland anne — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:39:36 +0000

Here's a poem done by one of the members of our branch KCC after seeing kiwi recovery work with Operation nestegg at Rainbow Springs. She and her friend then went on to raise $1200 for Operation nestegg/kiwi by holding cake stalls, sponsorships to do the Otago Rail Trail etc etc. How kids see pest control: Our Beloved Kiwi: Hello my dear kiwi friend It’s sad you are coming so close to an end Pecking so loudly at the start of the night The way we have treated you is just not right The ferrets and rats The stoats and cats The people and dogs We destroyed your home for food and logs At one year, less than 5% of chicks survive Now, Operation Nest Egg will help you stay alive With special attention to your natural home Once again, in thousands you will roam Poem by Claire MacLennan

Ertvarkie on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

Ertvarkie — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:03:21 +0000

Anti 1080 campaigner and convicted bank robber Clyde Graf is standing as the United Future's candidate for Coromandel <a href="http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyid=205274" rel="nofollow">http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyid=205274</a>

kukupa on "Pest control, How to do it."

kukupa — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 08:32:05 +0000

What a crack up guy! "Chiwi" lol

auckland anne on "Pest control, How to do it."

auckland anne — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:50:28 +0000

Exciting! The trapping a group of us have been doing at Motu Manawa (mentioned above) actually made it onto You Tube (TVOne filmed it for Asia Downunder special on Conservation Week) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kl4mg38MM4&feature=player_embedded" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kl4mg38MM4&feature=player_embedded</a>

auckland anne on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

auckland anne — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:22:59 +0000

I don't think cost is the ultimate bottom-line for whether 1080 is used aerially. There's presumably other toxins that'd be cheaper to use but might threaten human safety more? More used because of efficiencies than because of limiting costs I reckon. Also you'd only have to shift the birds that are within the area proposed to have an aerial application, so not over the full range of kea in this case. It'd still be an additional cost to the overall operation, if it could be done. And seeing as DoC isn't the only (and not even the biggest) user of 1080, local farmers thru Fed Farmers would be asked to cover this extra cost as well as DoC, and they mightn't be too happy about that!? The cost of collecting the birds at Shakespeare and removing them until after the aerial drop of brodificoum there was presumably covered by the Council (so through our local body rates). If DoC added bird recovery methods, the cost would fall to tax-payers however, and that might be a bit problematic for the govt. For better or worse, DoC only does what the govt allows - to that end I think DoC definitely is getting the rough end of the pro- / anti- 1080 stick.

ethos on "Don't ban 1080. Understand 1080"

ethos — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:48:52 +0000

I think the population estimates for kea are difficult because although some kea may be caught others are very difficult to find, I struggle to picture how birds could be moved before a poison drop or what it would cost (and isnt cost the real argument for aerial 1080?). Kea can range a considerable distance - Bond and Diamond 1992 put the dispersal range of their studied birds at 3600 ha. Bring a big net. Multiple studies allude to the difficulty of measuring populations accurately over kea home range let alone trying to catch them all. Tawaki you mention just three studies into kea mortality after aerial 1080 drop but forgot the fourth - the Franz Jospeh 2008 study which revealed the death of 7 from 29 tracked kea. Thats two of four studies showing a significant problem. And these are just the birds that have been monitored. Most birds go unchecked. As to claims that increased fledging success (unproven in the current cases) can justify significant adult mortality: <a href="http://www.keaconservation.co.nz/pdfs/conservation_ecology.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.keaconservation.co.nz/pdfs/conservation_ecology.pdf</a> "Population modeling showed that a change in adult survival has roughly four times the impact on population growth as a proportional change in any other parameter" Kea are slow to reach sexual maturity (3-5 years of age) a loss of adult birds is thus very important. The information I have to hand is that kea are classified as "Nationally endangered", not just "threatened" or "vulnerable" as of 2002.