Environment
newsroom coverage of an ambitious effort to free Auckland Island from pigs, cats and mice has inspired a reader to raise $ 100,000 for the project
A conservation project aimed at rescuing New Zealand’s largest sub-Antarctic island from mammal pests that devastated its landscape and seabirds has received another surprising $ 100,000 donation.
The secret donor contacted the Department of Conservation earlier this month after he a newsroom article on the Maukahuka Pest Free Auckland Island project.
The gift contributes to an earlier $ 100,000 donation made by a listen article on eradication work on the island.
The latest donor says he was by a wish “to see Auckland Island’s motivated native species recover and the subantarctic island return to its pre-European state”.
His interest in eradicating pests dates back to the 1970s when he worked at the Forest and Range Experimental Station in Rangiora.
“Earlier there was a symposium on the extinction of possum and the control of deer, gemsbok and tahr.
“Scientists mostly gave talks about their work and there was a brainstorming session afterwards, which was a good example of how theories should be handled,” he says.
The donor says he enjoys the wildlife recycling aspects of what the Maukahuka Pest Free Auckland Island project will achieve and he wants to be part of making the project happen.
Trapped in Covid
The joint DoC and Ngāi Tahu project, which aims to rid the island of its wild pigs, cats and mice, was suspended two years ago when Covid struck to bring it down to an unfavorable fundraising climate.
It is expected to last a decade and cost in the region of $ 84 million, and requires both government and philanthropic funding. If successful, the project will be the largest and most complex island pest eradication undertaken in the world.
Stephen Horn, national extermination team manager of the DoC, says the $ 100,000 donations are an “extraordinary” amount and his team is grateful to both donors.
“The connection with the two donors was very nice.
“They are very supportive and are excited to make a contribution to something they care about, so it’s nice to be able to talk to them about the impact the funding will have,” Horn says.
Horn’s team, which is responsible for eradicating pests on New Zealand’s uninhabited foreign islands, has continued to develop and test eradication tools and do logistical planning so that it is ready for the resumption of the project.
It is working on a poisonous bait for feral cats and is in the process of importing poisonous cheese for trials needed to get approval for New Zealand use.
The bait could provide a game changer for pig and cat extermination projects, not just on Auckland Island, but nationally.
Horn says it is encouraging that people in the community are willing to support DoC’s biosecurity efforts with large cash donations.
“It was really encouraging and inspiring that people would give their hard-earned money … and trust that it would have a big impact,” Horn says.
“There is a lot of passion there. The first donor was fortunate enough to have been on the sub-Antarctic islands and you can see that this obviously had an impact on their perspective, ”says Horn.
“Every year people contact us and say, ‘Hey, we’d like to see this project happen,’ but getting people to grab their pockets and take action like that is powerful and motivating.”
Possible project involvement
Horn will keep both donors informed of progress and if practical he will see if there are opportunities for them to be involved in the project.
A member of Horn’s team has created a limited edition tea towel for the donors who have photos and a map of Auckland Island.
In addition to helping fund bait development and testing, the donor funding will be used to meet technical and infrastructure needs.
This includes working out how to store large volumes of helicopter fuel in a World Heritage Site where permanent structures are not allowed, Horn says.
In collaboration with another DoC team, Horn’s group is testing a flat-pack field hut.
The funding will also be used to develop a helicopter bucket that allows bait to be distributed at a lower flow rate than that used in other air eradications. Bait release will be synchronized with the helicopter’s ground speed, Horn says.
Building human capacity and expertise is also something for which donor funding will be used.
“We’re looking at testing thermal tools for pork hunting, so we want to be able to put people with those skills on a pool and make sure the tool is effective,” he says.
While awaiting approval to import the poisonous pig cheese, they work out the best place for a bait soil test.
They placed automatic feeders at two Southland locations to use wild pigs to eat a non-toxic version of the bait and to test whether the pig population was large enough at one of the sites to test the poisonous bait. to perform.
* Made with the support of the Public Interest Journalism Fund