To cite this article: P Dilks, L Shapiro, T Greene, MJ Kavermann, CT Eason & EC Murphy (2011):
Field evaluation of para-aminopropiophenone (PAPP) for controlling stoats (Mustela erminea) in
New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 38:2, 143-150
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2010.537668
This is a paper recently published that outlines how scientists allowed the great Waitutu Forest to be over run by pests that then wiped out many of the Waitutu Forest threatened native birds and plants.
Waitutu is protected as part of Fiordland National Park and the South West NZ World Heritage Site Status.
It and the adjoining Waitutu Maori freehold forest were saved from logging by huge conservation efforts led by Forest and Bird over the last 30 years. 45,000ha Waitutu State Forest was added to Fiordland National Park about 12 years ago. In the mid 1990s, the Maori owners of the Waitutu portion of the South Island Landless Native Forests (SILNA) agreed to lease their 3,000ha forest in perpetuity to the crown to be managed as if it was National Park.
Depsite all the public conservation effort to save this forest and the promise made to the Maori owners of their Waitutu Freehold lands leased to the Crown for protection, DOC allowed Landcare Research scientists and some DOC scientists to use this forest to create a huge pest paradise right through the period 2001-2009.
Over this period these scientists monitored Waitutu's collapsing native biodiversity as introduced pests were allowed to explode virtually unchecked right through this precious forest. The pests devastated the Waitutu kaka population and many of its other threatened native birds. Mistletoes collapsed as did fuchsia and rata because of an explosion in the possum population.
The scientific paper above describes the build up of huge stoat numbers in the forests. These stoats then destroyed most of Waitutu's female and juvenile kaka. It was very convenient for the scientists because it gave them a population of stoats that they could play with and use their new PAPP stoat poison on in very limited areas. They also caught rats and mice and monitored a huge build up in possum numbers in Waitutu. (published in other papers). There was simply no good reason to allow a World Heritage Listed lowland forest to be wrecked just so they could do their studies.Their studies could easily have been done in pine forest or less valuable native forest.
Lots of scientific papers about these interesting introduced animals in Waitutu were published by the scientists. The papers all tell us that introduced pest numbers build up where there is no pest control...as if we all didn't know this already!.
Tragically, not one of those scientists at any time over the nearly 10 year period that the collapse of biodiversity in Waitutu occurred, advocated for comprehensive pest control across the whole of this precious lowland forest. They could easily have observed the very successful aerial 1080 programmes by DOC West Coast
over similar lowland forest in South Westland 1998-2010 and advocated those for Waitutu. But no. The research and publishing of their pest paradise papers was considered far more important than actually saving native biodiversity.
This is utterly disgusting. Publishing personal scientific papers was given greater priority than saving NZ biodiversity.
Finally in 2009 DOC Murihiku Area Office staff had had enough. In partnership with the Maori owners of the Waitutu SILNA forests, they championed a 25,000ha comprehensive aerial 1080 programme for much of Waitutu forest. It took nearly a year for the resource consents and funding to be finalised. The aerial pre feed and then 1080 operation took place in October 2010. It has been a stunning success. Kaka are breeding like rabbits and the kill of possums, stoats and rats has been phenomenal. A follow up aerial 1080 operation is in the planning stages unless the pest scientists succeed in stopping it.
Right now questions are being asked about the winding down and relocation of some of DOC's science skills in the current DOC restructuring . Some people have expressed outrage about this. But science is not a sacred cow. We must retain the ability to question what scientists are doing and whether this is the best use of conservation dollars.
It is a real pity such questioniing was not done earlier at Waitutu.