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LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
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Rolling three government departments into one and calling it the Department of Conservation was ambitious and that ambition is still a work in progress thirty years later. With goals like being predator free by 2050, being in a state of progress will always be part and parcel of life for DOC. Will it ever achieve its goals? It is plainly obvious DOC cannot achieve its goals alone with such a monstrous job on its hands. Protecting our native flora and fauna on top of providing access to our national parks and reserves and running the largest tourism attraction imaginable encompassing almost a third of New Zealand is no small feat. Their funding is pitiful considering all of the above and it takes partnerships with businesses, iwi and most importantly the people of New Zealand to get anywhere near those lofty goals. On DOC’s thirtieth birthday let’s look on the bright side and call predator free New Zealand by 2050 an achievable aspiration. It will take some serious buy in from ordinary people like you and me to make it happen. But this is achievable as demonstrated by the neighbourhoods bordering Zealandia in Wellington who started predator trapping, community by community off their own bat and supported by businesses and DOC. Now the stoats, possums, feral cats and rats are gone from those suburbs the native birds have returned. With eighty percent of our iconic native birds threatened with extinction, giving them a fighting chance is the very least we humans can do. Rats and dogs arrived here with Māori and the list of introduced predators has grown since European settlement to include other species of rats, stoats, weasels, ferrets, possums, hedgehogs, and cat. We have to accept the blame and commit to the solution.
Stefano De Santis, Tina Ashmore and Cameron Mitchell celebrating the opening of their new mediteranian flavoured bar and restaurant, Attiqa on Friday.
(Photo: Stefano Dili)
So what are we doing here in the Wakatipu? The controversial ‘Battle for our Birds’ has seen tonnes of 1080 poison dropped on our surrounding mountainsides. This is DOC’s go to method for dealing with plague proportions of rats and possums. 1080 might be effective in hard to get places but far from the ideal tool when looking for some serious buy in from the public of New Zealand and rousing support. However, what is far more effective as a community partnership tool working towards the goal of Predator Free New Zealand, is neighbourhood trapping as carried out in Wellington. Enthusiastic groups of trappers are popping up all over the Wakatipu. Predator Free Arrowtown is one such group who raised funds from local businesses and individuals to buy over fifty Good Nature resetting stoat and rat traps within the first month of operation. The plan is simple, ring fence Arrowtown eradicating predators and link in with Mutt Lange’s private national park under the QE2 Trust covenant that stretches from Arrowtown to Wanaka and the Crown Range to Arthurs Point, and bring back the birds. Imagine if Predator Free Arthurs Point then continued the work to Queenstown and linked into Predator Free Fernhill. A predator free Wakatipu is possible. Often criticised for its methods, the fact remains the Department of Conservation has our best interests at heart. Its work is judged generationally and thirty years into the mammoth task, DOC gets a pass mark. With plenty more work to be done, supported by us, the local communities. Scott Stevens editor@lwb.co.nz
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