Proof 1080 is saving our species

Introduction

Most of our unique endemic species live in hard to reach places. 1080 is the best tool currently available for large scale predator control in these places.

Highlights

Monitoring results demonstrate the urgent need for pest control and the effectiveness of aerial 1080.

Monitoring

We do pest control to protect New Zealand’s most vulnerable native species from rats, stoats and possums. We monitor native species carefully to make sure our pest-control efforts are effective.  

We use a variety of methods, one of which is applying biodegradable 1080 by air over specified large areas of rugged terrain. Ground-based predator control methods also play an important part, but on their own, these tools have limited use in areas that are difficult to access, too large or too remote.

There are many ways we monitor species before and after pest control. Some of the most compelling results have come from comparison work:

Highlights

kiwi-survival-infographic.jpg
Kiwi chick survival rates are 12 times higher with predator control
Photo: Neil Hutton

whio-duckling-survival-infographic.jpg
Three times more whio survived to fledge after aerial 1080 and trapping
Photo: Alan Reith 

We’ve monitored more than 600 kiwi during and after 1080 operations over the last 10 or more years, and none has ever been killed by 1080.

The comparison method

  1. ‘Area A’ gets 1080 pest control.
  2. ‘Area B’ doesn’t get any pest control.
  3. We monitor both areas and compare the results.

Results

Blue duck/whio monitoring

Blue duck/whio monitoring

Whio raise more ducklings after 1080 treatment than when only traps are used to control stoats.

Kea monitoring

Kea monitoring

Kea nesting improves after 1080 treatment.

Kiwi monitoring

Kiwi monitoring

Research published in 2019 shows use of 1080 leads to more kiwi chicks surviving.

Long and short-tailed bat/pekapeka monitoring

Long and short-tailed bat/pekapeka monitoring

A record 2,947 rare southern short-tailed bats were counted flying from a single roost tree in January 2018.

Rifleman/tītipounamu monitoring

Rifleman/tītipounamu monitoring

Rifleman raised three time more chicks after 1080 pest control than without.

Robin/toutouwai monitoring

Robin/toutouwai monitoring

Robins raised seven times more chicks after 1080 treatment than without.

Rock wren/tuke monitoring

Rock wren/tuke monitoring

Rock wren raised up to five times more chicks after 1080 treatment than without.

South Island kākā monitoring

South Island kākā monitoring

Thirty times more kākā chicks were produced in an area after 1080 treatment than in an area where no 1080 was used.

Yellowhead/mohua monitoring

Yellowhead/mohua monitoring

Mohua nests were twice as successful after 1080 treatment than without.

Save Our Iconic Kiwi

Kiwi populations around the country are declining at an average of about 2% a year – a serious situation. It’s mostly due to predation upon kiwi chicks by stoats, cats, dogs and ferrets. The goal for Save Our Iconic Kiwi is to turn this decline around, so that every type of kiwi is increasing.

In 2017, we started monitoring southern Fiordland tokoeka (kiwi) at Shy Lake, between Wet Jacket Arm and Breaksea Sound. The goal is to gather data before and after 1080 to ensure that we are controlling pests in large, remote areas of Fiordland in the most effective and efficient way to save the most kiwi.

In the absence of pest control, every chick we monitored was killed by a stoat.

Read about this work in our blog series, Fiordland Kiwi Diaries.

Returning the birdsong to Aorangi Forest Park

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