DOC's work with Kawau Island wallabies
What can be done
Wallaby control operations have been carried out on Kawau since 1923 with little success in curbing wallaby numbers or benefit to the island's forest. Some landowners have managed to fence the animals out of their properties and seen big improvements in forest health in those areas.
Successful eradication programmes on nearby Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands, where there has been a marked forest re-growth, show it is possible to get rid of isolated groups of wallabies like those on Kawau.
Kawau Island wallaby
Opportunities
Once wallabies are gone, the potential for ecological restoration on Kawau would be huge. The forest under-storey would regenerate with richer soil and leaf layers. There would be more insect life and more food for kiwi and weka. Forest growth would also lead to more New Zealand wood pigeons, tui and kaka.
Possums could be removed once the wallabies are gone. This would benefit threatened species such as long-tailed bats and brown teal. It could also provide the opportunity to re-introduce native species lost from Kawau such as kokako, saddleback, robins and seabirds.