Large scale rural Taranaki predator control project a first for NZ
Monday, 14 January 2019
Pest control on Steve and Daphne Tarrant's Strathmore beef and sheep farm in East Taranaki used to be a matter of loading a .22 rifle and taking a shot at wandering possums, or laying cyanide poison.
Since the couple moved off their 340ha property five years ago and onto a 18ha beef finishing block at Waiwhakaiho, near New Plymouth, pest control has become more effective, and less time consuming.
The Tarrants have three pest control operations running simultaneously on the block and are now part of the Taranaki Regional Council's groundbreaking control operation.
The farming couple are among 600 people on rural properties spread over 14,200ha surrounding New Plymouth, between Egmont Rd, and west of Barrett Rd, included in the first stage of a pest control programme initiated by the regional council as part of the $11.7m Towards Predator Free Taranaki project.
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This will see the placement of 2100 wirelessly-monitored self-setting gas-operated trapsbetween New Plymouth and Egmont National Park to target stoats and rats.
It is the largest pest control operation ever attempted on private property.
'Pest control has snowballed since the regional council came on board,' Steve said.
'We don't see many possums now but we see a few stoats, even in daylight.
'When I see a possum now in the area, I think someone is not doing their job with pest control.'
Before pest control began in earnest the possums had a field day chewing through native trees, including the endangered king fern, he said.
Possums also brought the constant threat of bovine tuberculosis (TB).
Bellbirds, tui and kereru have returned as result of the trapping.
'There's bellbird who sings from daylight to dusk, and there are good numbers of wood pigeons and tui flying around.'
Towards Predator-Free Taranaki project is the country's largest predator control operation and funded by Predator-Free 2050 Ltd.
Project manager Toby Shanley said the rural operation built on the regions successful self-help possum programme.
By 2030 around 235,000ha will be eventually covered in region wide project, he said.
It is the first time a large scale pest control operation on private rural land had been attempted in New Zealand.
'It will be the largest rural predator operation in the country, but just one phase of the multi-pronged work of Towards Predator-Free Taranaki to remove stoats, rats and possums across rural, urban and conservation land.'
Using the latest technology made trapping easier and more efficient to kill mustelids such as stoats, weasels, and ferrets and protect native wildlife, Shanley said.
New technology included the Wellington-based Goodnature wireless traps, fitted with Bluetooth, which send a notification to a mobile phone, or tablet, when the trap is activated.
The self setting traps automatically reset 24 times, using a chocolate blood flavoured lure lasting up to six months.
Added to the pest control armoury are also 400 tracking tunnels and 120 motion sensor cameras to monitor behaviour of mustelids.
The data will be analysed by Shanley's team, and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research to provide information on predator numbers, species and how they respond to trapping.
All the information will be shared with other regions to help achieve the Government target of a pest free country by 2050, Shanley said.