Pest-free islands proposed

The Department of Conservation is undertaking a feasibility study for what could be the biggest multi-species pest eradication project in the world.

The Auckland Islands eradication project would see cats, mice and pigs eradicated from the 46,000-hectare island in order to make it pest free.

The islands lie 465 kilometres south-south-east of Bluff and are the biggest group in the subAntarctic islands.

Project manager Stephen Horn said the programme was ambitious.

DOC and its treaty partner in Southland, Nga¯ i Tahu, were keen to restore the biodiversity values of the Auckland Islands because it was home to endemic species.

New Zealand was the seabird capital of the world and the subAntarctic islands were their breeding grounds, Horn said.

However, the Auckland Islands did not have much breeding activity because of the predators.

In September, DOC held a workshop with several scientists and pest control experts to gather ideas for the project. The terrain and weather presented challenges.

While the Auckland Island pigs were being used for medical research due to their disease-free status, the project would work with medical scientists and rare breeds groups to preserve the species for the future.

Department of Conservation Murihiku District operations manager Tony Preston said the project would be one of the largest eradications of its type in the world. ‘‘If we’re successful in eradicating pests from Auckland Islands, the New Zealand sub-Antarctic islands will be pest-free.’’