Trapping programme paying off

A Canterbury trapping programme aiming to protect a critical native insect habitat is paying dividends, with hundreds of predators caught in just four months.

In March, Pest Free Banks Peninsula (PFBP) started the mammoth task of eliminating introduced predators on Kaitōrete Spit – a windswept finger of land separating Te Waihora-Lake Ellesmere from the sea.

The plan is to have the 5000-hectare spit and the southeast corner of Banks Peninsula predator-free by 2024, and the whole peninsula cleared by 2050 – a programme that has received more than $10 million in funding over the next five years. About half of it comes from Predator Free 2050, while $600,000 a year comes from Environment Canterbury (ECan).

Since the traps were laid, 15 feral cats, 20 weasels, five ferrets, and hundreds of bug-munching hedgehogs have been caught. There are about 230 kill or livecapture traps scattered across the spit, and some are quite hi-tech. When a pest was caught, a node on top of the trap reported back to a hub, alerting field staff, which minimised the amount of time staff needed to spend checking traps.

PFBP project manager Sarah Wilson said: ‘‘It’s taken us a wee while to train the staff, get the equipment, and get the knowledge about how to move forward, but now we’re really beginning to shift gear.’’

While Kaitōrete was probably a littleknown area for many Cantabrians, Wilson said it was very important for insect life.

The spit provides habitat for more than 100 species of moths – including five that are flightless – plus various beetles, lizards and birds, and the katipōspider.

‘‘From a pest control perspective, it’s sort of a coalition of opportunity. The shape of the land makes it easy to work on, and then you’ve got this biodiversity that is possible to renew here.’’

PFBP project oversight group chair David Miller said the trapping work was just one aspect of their long-term ecological vision for Banks Peninsula.