Predator free might not be the answer
The Government wants New Zealand predator free by 2050, but a Waikato Regional Councillor is worried the wrong species will get caught in the cross fire.
Prime Minister John Key says the Government has a target to eradicate all pests that threaten New Zealand’s native birds and has provided a $28 million funding injection into a joint venture company to kick start the campaign.
‘‘Rats, possums and stoats kill 25 million of our native birds every year, and prey on other native species such as lizards and, along with the rest of our environment, we must do more to protect them,’’ Key said.
While this may sound like a great initiative, Waikato regional councillor Kathy White, said it could also end up killing more of the animals that everyone treasures.
‘‘I believe in pest control but not when it kills so many of the wrong species and poses risks to our food chain and our international brand,’’ she said.
‘‘Using more toxins will kill more pests but it will also kill more of the animals we treasure.’’
Every week, White speaks with someone whose animals have been killed by a pest control poison and she raises questions about whether the programme can get rid of pests completely.
‘‘Many possums are now poison shy because we’ve used 1080 for so long. In addition to this, 1080 isn’t effective enough to eradicate rats,’’ White said.
‘‘If it was, we wouldn’t experience rat plagues six months after 1080 drops.’’
By 2025, the Government has set four interim goals:
• Having 1 million hectares of land where pests are suppressed or removed; • The development of a scientific breakthrough, capable of removing entirely one small mammalian predator; • To be able demonstrate that areas of 20,000 hectares can be predator free without the use of fences like the one at at Wellington’s Zealandia sanctuary; • And the complete removal of all introduced predators from offshore island nature reserves.
Taupo mayor, David Trewavas, said this initiative has got to be a good thing.
‘‘It’s fairly ambitious, but any initiative that Government comes up with to eradicate the pests and increase bird life has got to be good for the country.’’