My Account
Kawau community members have presented a proposal to Auckland Council that they say will achieve a pest-free island, but use less controversial methods than those currently under consideration – and save almost $4 million in costs.
Entitled ‘Towards a pest-free Kawau’, the plan is presented as an alternative to an earlier blueprint, detailed in a feasibility report produced for council by the non-government organisation Island Conservation. That report, presented to the community in August, attracted opposition from a small but determined minority. (MM, Sept 11)
The authors of the alternative plan describe it as “a collaborative, efficient, acceptable, humane and significantly cheaper” option for ridding Kawau of wallabies, rats, possums and stoats, and one that will be acceptable to the vast majority of private landowners on Kawau.
Caroline Boot, Pippa Tabron, Lloyd Lamberg, Sue-Ellen Craig and Greg Tabron, representing the Pest-Free Kawau group, presented their proposal at an October 5 meeting with council biosecurity team manager Lisa Tolich and head of natural environment delivery Phil Brown.
In response to queries about the meeting, Tolich said in a statement that a group of community members had submitted a proposal “with an alternative delivery approach”.
“It is great to hear that members of the community have been thinking about some of the challenges associated with achieving a successful outcome and coming up with ideas to help address these,” she said.
In addition to the Pest-Free Kawau proposal, council had received nearly 300 community responses to the Island Conservation feasibility report.
“Over the next few weeks, the wider project team and programme partners will consider all of the feedback, to help inform any future decision-making processes and how we can work more closely with the community on any next steps,” Tolich said.
Speaking to Mahurangi Matters on behalf of the Pest-Free Kawau group, Boot voiced concern that Kawau property owners did not appear to be significantly or proportionally represented among the “partners” considering the feedback.
Council indicated that feedback on the proposal would be provided on October 20. At the time of going to press, it had yet to be received.
Boot said the alternative proposal has the backing of the Pohutukawa Trust.
The proposal envisages the long-established Pohutukawa Trust playing a key role in eradicating wallabies, possums and stoats.
Neighbourhood coordinators would oversee bait stations, and Double Tap would be used rather than Brodifacoum – the toxin proposed in the Island Conservation feasibility report. Double Tap targets rats and possums, but with a lower risk of secondary poisoning to non-target species or harm to pets than Brodifacoum.
Wallabies have presented a particular sticking point: Twelve per cent of landowners reportedly oppose eradicating the marsupials, which some see as an treasured part of Kawau’s heritage. (MM, Sept 11)
The Towards a pest-free Kawau proposal does not oppose culling wallabies, but suggests that community resistance could be alleviated by the retaining of a small captive population, on DOC land at Mansion House.
The proposal includes an indicative budget of $2.61 million – $1.27 million for the wallaby/possum/stoat eradication phase, and $1.37 million for targeting rats.
That is $3.98 million less than the $6.59 million estimated in the Island Conservation feasibility report.
The savings are derived from differences between the two proposals, and from the fact that Pohutukawa Trust contractors can provide much of the necessary equipment and services themselves.
For example, the feasibility report included $440,000 for “non-target species mitigation” and $319,200 for accommodation for team members. But the alternative proposal says that as Brodifacoum will not be used, non-target species mitigation won’t be needed. And if islanders do the work, the accommodation costs fall away.
The two competing proposals both acknowledge that there will be additional future costs to prevent pest re-invasion.
The Towards a pest-free Kawau proposal can be read this here.
