Goodbye to goats on Taranaki Maunga
After almost a century, goats are gone from Taranaki Maunga and the world’s longest-running goat eradication programme has come to an end.
Their absence is already being seen in an abundance of plants previously gobbled up by the goats.
This achievement was marked on Friday with a signing of the Tomorrow Accord milestone by representatives from the Taranaki Mounga Project (TMP) and the Department of Conservation.
Established in 2014 between the Crown and Taranaki Mounga founding partner, the NEXT Foundation, the Tomorrow Accord ensures ecological transformations are protected for future generations.
The Crown agrees to maintain the ecological gains achieved by restoration projects when agreed targets are reached.
The task of keeping goats out of the national park has now being handed back to DOC and marks the first target to be met by the TMP and its partners.
Taranaki Mounga co-project manager Sean Zieltjes said a change of hunting strategy and very deliberate focus on eliminating goats across the 34,000-hectare national park since 2016 had finally got the job done.
‘‘We are probably close to 100 years now that DOC and its predecessors and the community have been trying to control goats on the mountain, it’s been a bloody long-running thing.’’
Between $2.5 million and $3m had been spent in the past six years, a ‘‘big hit’’ made possible by the active involvement of the philanthropic trust.
‘‘We’ve worked with some really clever people and really committed hunters, that has been the change, the stars have aligned,’’ Zieltjes said.
The intensive and targeted ground hunting campaign included using thermal imaging technology mounted on to helicopters in 2019 to spot goats from the air.
The last goat on the mountain itself was shot more than a year ago and the eradication programme was officially completed by hunting the final remaining goats seen around the ring plain.
The team also spoke to neighbouring landowners with goats on their properties, and their cooperation has helped to heavily reduce the chances of goats wandering back into the park.
Taranaki Mounga chairperson Jamie Tuuta is pleased this milestone has been reached.
‘‘I want to thank the dedicated team of experienced hunters who worked in difficult terrain to achieve this goal. Also, to our communities who support our vision of a goat-free national park,’’ he said.
DOC Taranaki operations manager Gareth Hopkins said he welcomed the biodiversity gains this achievement has brought.
‘‘The elimination of goats was a significant step towards enabling natural forest regeneration to occur across the national park, restoring and enhancing the biodiversity on Taranaki Maunga.
‘‘This is a great example of collaboration and partnership as we work together to reach this important goal.’’
Botanist and University of Waikato professor Bruce Clarkson said plants previously targeted by the animals were coming back.
‘‘Palatable shrubs such as kanono and toropapa can now be found in abundance on the forest floor and free of browse damage,’’ he said. ‘‘Having a healthy shrub layer is not just important for the plants but for the birds dependent on them for fruit and nectar.’’
NEXT Foundation chief executive Bill Kermode said the signing was a major milestone for Taranaki Mounga, and for the Tomorrow Accord – made possible through the work of all the many people and organisations involved.
‘‘NEXT would like to thank you all. It is also powerful affirmation that well-structured partnership between philanthropy and government can deliver legacy outcomes for the country. It will benefit our land and our people – for future generations of New Zealand,’’ he said.