ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015

OSPRI | CORE PROGRAMMES 2014/2015
or other wildlife infected with TB
from these surveillance activities,
as significant possum control effort
has already been undertaken.
Pest control demonstration days
Demonstration days have been
an important part of increasing
understanding and public
awareness of the benefits of
our pest control work, including
our aerial operations. During
2014/2015 we held four pest control
demonstration days in Cromwell,
Waipara, Wellington and Hawke’s
Bay. These popular days are held in
conjunction with local conservation
groups DOC and Forest & Bird, and
give people a chance to witness
how an operation is managed and
carried out. The focus is on creating
an understanding of the technical
precision and risk management
processes that accompany any pest
management operation. It’s also
an opportunity for attendees to
interact with staff and contractors
and get a better understanding of
pest control and the progress made.
Why we use 1080
Aerially applied 1080 (or sodium
fluoroacetate) is the most costeffective
method for controlling
introduced possums and other
predators such as rats and stoats
over large areas of difficult-toaccess
forest. Ground based control
is required to be undertaken
either annually or every second
year, in order to maintain possum
levels sufficiently low to control
TB. Aerial application of 1080 can
last for longer than five years and
be applied accurately over large
tracts of difficult-to-access bush
terrain. As well as reducing the
risk of TB in cattle and deer herds
through infected wildlife, there are
concurrent biodiversity benefits
from significantly reducing the
pest population.
Every year introduced pests kill
significant numbers of native birds
and destroy native bush, with many
of our native species struggling to
survive in the wild. Without the use
of 1080 to control possums and
other predators (rats and stoats),
birds such as kiwi, whio and mōhua,
among many others, would
ultimately disappear from mainland
New Zealand.
The use of biodegradable 1080
is ideally suited for New Zealand
conditions as it is particularly
effective against introduced
mammals. New Zealand only
has introduced mammalian
pests. The only native mammals
are bats which have very low
susceptibility to 1080 and have
limited access to areas where it
is used. It is therefore possible to
target pest species without risk to
native mammalian species, unlike
elsewhere in the world.
1080 naturally breaks down in
the environment into harmless
substances following rainfall through
the process of biodegradation and
dilution. It does not accumulate or
leave permanent residues in soil,
plants, water or animals.
There have been considerable
improvements in baiting
technology over the years. For
example, the amount of bait
applied per hectare has been
reduced from approximately
25kg/ha in the 1970s and 1980s
to current application levels of
2kg/ha or less. This equates to
about four to six baits in an area
the size of a tennis court. The
baits are applied using helicopters
equipped with sophisticated GPS
technology to ensure that bait
is accurately applied. Currently
there are trials underway aimed at
further reducing the application
rate that are showing promising
results. For more information visit
1080thefacts.co.nz
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