Resource promotes backyard trapping
Practical help for community groups to trap rats, stoats and possums is among new initiatives to rid the country of predators.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced the creation of a new short-course on predator trapping methods along with a toolkit to support community groups get involved in trapping during a visit to the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) yesterday.
She said the two-day course had been developed together with NMIT and was targeted at community groups and individuals wanting to develop practical skills.
The online toolkit was a resource that helped people to work towards the Predator Free 2050 goal through tips, trap and bait profiles, how-tos and funding resources.
Sage said the initiatives would aid those working to protect native species like kiwi, kaka, kakariki and whio.
‘‘This course and toolkit will make it easier for groups who want to help combat our predator crisis, where 82 per cent of native birds are threatened or at risk of extinction.’’
Predator Free 2050 was an ‘‘ambitious goal’’ and Sage said it was not something the Department of Conservation (DOC) could achieve on its own.
‘‘It requires a community partnership, working with local government, with iwi, hapu and local businesses.’’
She said Budget 2018 included $81.2 million in new funding for DOC to do predator control ‘‘to tackle the predator crisis’’ over the next four years.
Within the region a huge amount of energy went into community projects with a focus on biodiversity restoration and Sage said the course would help people to build skills.
Students would learn more about how to understand pests, setting a trap line to deliver the best results and how to monitor the success of a trapping operation.
‘‘I’m really pleased that there will be so many more people who have a better understanding of the challenges of the predator crisis and having the skills to take out and use in the field.’’
Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology chief executive Liam Sloan said the institution had a unique relationship with DOC.
NMIT was the only tertiary institution in the country supported by DOC to deliver the trainee ranger programme. For almost 20 years, many of the students who completed the certificated had gone on to become rangers with DOC.
‘‘We are proud to be part of a coordinated approach to help raise awareness and facilitate training around Predator Free 2050.’’
The Introduction to Predator Trapping Methods Training course was developed by Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and the Department of Conservation. The two-day workshop focuses on rats, stoats and possums and educates students about the problem and includes technical information and advice on creating and implementing an effective predator control plan.
The course will be delivered throughout New Zealand by an NMIT tutor with support from the DOC ranger network.