Support for 1080 operation

The Southland Conservation Board has thrown its weight behind the use of an aerial 1080 drop in the Waitutu forest, claiming there is no alternative.

The Department of Conservation wants to drop cereal bait over 25,000 hectares of forest and has lodged a resource consent application with Environment Southland.

The drop has been made possible with a $500,000 grant from the Government's National Heritage Fund for a one-off pest control operation.

At a conservation board meeting yesterday, DOC biodiversity programme manager Jessyca Bernard said while many people were against 1080 use, it was the only feasible option for a large area such as Waitutu.

"It would take a team of 30 trackers with the space of two months to do the whole job we could do in two days (from the air)," she said.

After the meeting, board member Robin McNeill said the sheer size of the area meant a ground operation would not work, because possums could "sneak in the back" as the team moved forward.

Mr McNeill acknowledged there was a by-kill element to 1080, but Waitutu was part of a national park and the board needed to do everything it could to protect it from pests.

"I don't like to use fly spray, to be honest, I feel sorry for the flies but I just grate my teeth and push the button," he said.

Ms Bernard said if the consent application were successful, the drop could occur in August or September, depending on the weather.

The drop would mean no further 1080 would be needed for seven to 10 years, she said.

The 1080 concentration rate would be about 2kg a hectare, which was lower than other drops where there had been problems, but still high enough to be effective, she said.

Submissions on the application close on October 16.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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