Taranaki aims at predator-free first
Bold bid backed by $11.7m kickstart from Govt
Taranaki is attempting to be the first region to rid itself of predators, with an unprecedented effort that has just received an $11.7 million kickstart.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage chose Pukeiti Gardens, at the foot of
Mt Taranaki, to announce the new funding from Governmentowned company Predator Free 2050.
The cash will help launch Taranaki Taku Tu¯ranga, a collaboration between Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) and rural landowners that aims to empty all local native habitats of
HWatch the video at nzherald.co.nz predators. The project, the largest of its kind in New Zealand and costing $47m in the first five years, will be progressively rolled out across 4500ha of farmland surrounding Taranaki/Egmont National Park. Remote sensors, wireless nodes and a trapping app will be among “internet of things” technology used to remove predators and prevent reinfestations.
The high-tech equipment makes trapping more efficient, particularly in rural areas, and provides live trapping data — sending a smartphone alert to the user when a trap goes off.
Data will also be collated about how, where and when predators are caught, helping the council identify clusters and tweak the trapping network.
A virtual barrier, made up of natural barriers, traps and remote sensors, will prevent reinfestations and be moved across the region as predators are removed from each area.
The region will be divided into pizza-slice sections and different phases of work will be rolled out around the mountain, starting in the New Plymouth area, Oakura and the Kaitake Range.
“Taranaki has unique advantages that can make it the first region in the country to remove introduced predators — its relatively compact geography, its regional and national expertise in biodiversity and predator control, and strong community collaboration and enthusiasm at all levels,” TRC chairman David MacLeod said.
The project will link in with successful predator work in Egmont National Park by Taranaki Mounga Project, which has already reduced predators to low levels and allowed the reintroduction of several species including the North Island robin and blue duck.
It will also build on existing work in urban and rural areas, including TRC’s voluntary urban possum control programme in New Plymouth, and its successful rural SelfHelp Possum Programme.