Expanded 1080 drop to curb 'plague' of rats

  • Breaking
  • 29/01/2014

The Government will be dropping 1080 poison on an extra 500,000 hectares of forest in an effort to combat an expected "plague of mice and rats of biblical proportions".

Conservation Minister Nick Smith told the Rotary Club of Nelson in a speech tonight of the plans to increase pest control in 35 forests to protect a dozen native species.

The $21 million 'Battle for Our Birds' programme will increase the proportion of protected public conservation land from 5 percent to 12. It also involves expanding the Department of Conservation's ongoing pest control work by 50,000 hectares each year over the next five years.

Dr Smith says it is "particularly urgent" this year because there is a one-in-10 year beech mast in which beech trees will drop around a million seeds in autumn.

"This flood of food will trigger a plague of an additional 30 million rats and tens of thousands of stoats," Dr Smith says.

"When the seeds germinate in spring, these starved predators will annihilate populations of our endangered birds."

New Zealand's native birds are in decline and Dr Smith believes kiwi will not exist for future generations if more is not done to protect them.

The details of exact areas, times and mix of pest control tools are still to be finalised, but the Government will monitor the seed drop and the resulting plague and then talk to affected communities.

Improved bait quality to avoid crumbs which attract birds, GPS, the use of helicopters instead of fixed-wing aircraft and the development of repellents for non-target species are among the "major improvements" in the 1080 programme, Dr Smith says.

The result is a drop in bait application rates from30kgs per hectare to 1kg.

Dr Smith addressed detractors of the poison by saying the independent Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and the Environment Protection Authority "make plain that 1080 is safe and the only practical tool that will work".

"Reason must trump prejudice about poisons when the very species that define our country are at stake."

Money for the programme will be spent over the next five years out of DOC's $335 million annual budget.

 Dr Smith says the money was freed up following the DOC's restructure, improved pest control and programme's economies scale.

Affected forests include:

  • Kahurangi
  • Abel Tasman
  • Arthur's Pass
  • Westland
  • Mt Aspiring
  • Fiordland National Parks
  • Catlins and Waikaia in Otago
  • Mt Dobson and Upper Hurunui in Canterbury
  • Haast, Maruia and Mokihinui on the West Coast
  • Pelorus and Isolated Hill in Marlborough
  • Pouiatoa in Taranaki
  • Whanganui and Tongariro National Parks
  • Pirongia and Awaroa in the Waikato

The 12 native species:

  • Great spotted, brown and tokoeka kiwi
  • Kaka
  • Kea
  • Whio (Blue duck)
  • Mohua (Yellowhead)
  • Kakaraki (Orange-fronted parakeet)
  • Rock wren
  • Long and short tailed bats
  • Giant snails

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