Download Ellis - New Zealand Institute of Forestry

The Self Help Possum Control
Programme 21 years and counting
Steve Ellis
Biosecurity Manager
Taranaki Regional Council
Working
with New
people
| caring
for Taranaki
New Zealand Institute of Forestry
Conference,
Plymouth,
New Zealand,
July 2013
Taranaki region
•
Population
110 000
•
Land area
723 610 ha
•
3% of NZ total
land area
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Pest Management Strategy for
Taranaki: Animals
• 23 animal species identified as pests
• Focus is on Possums
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Rooks
Rabbits
Hares
Feral Cats
Feral Deer (7 species)
Feral Goats
Feral Pigs
Magpie
Mustelids (3 species)
Fish (3 species)
Argentine Ants
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Why control possums?
• Significant affect on New Zealand native
biodiversity through competition for food
and predation
• Feral vector for TB
• Impact on agricultural
production and forestry
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
TRC Possum Control
Objectives
• To protect agricultural production and
conservation values by reducing infestations of
possums, on the ring plain through the
implementation of the Self Help Possum
Control Programme
• To promote public understanding of the “pest”
characteristics, and to facilitate the voluntary
control, of possums throughout the Taranaki
region.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Self Help Possum Control Programme
• A successful partnership between the Council
and land occupiers since 1992
• Council undertook initial “knock down” control
to reduce possums to very low numbers and
• Land owners are responsible for maintaining
possums at low numbers
• Council will undertake enforcement action
if required
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Why a community approach?
• Limited Council capacity
• Individual farmer control compromised by
neighbours not doing control
• Wide scale co-ordinated control required
to be effective
• Community support for concept
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Good business practice model
First stage “what we should do?”.
• Developed the concept
• Developed and tested the idea of the community control
programme via community engagement
Second stage “do others want it?”
• Gained support of others for the
control programme.
Third stage “can we do it?”
• Built the capacity for the Council to deliver
– Professional staff
– Appropriate systems and technological support
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Effective strategy framework
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Self Help Agreement
Programme is only established in areas where
land occupiers collectively agree to,
• Allow initial possum control to be undertaken
• Undertake ongoing possum control in
accordance with the strategy, by either
– Obtaining a Controlled Substance licence or
– Employing a contractor to undertake work at their
expense
• 75% of landusers covering 75% of the land
area must sign before control goes ahead.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Initial Control
• Undertaken by contractors on behalf of Council
• Is fully funded by Council
• Must reduce population to below a 5%RTC
with no lines over 11%
• Control is undertaken on approximately 4,000
hectares each financial year.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Operations
• March 1994
• March 1998
• June 2004
• June 2009
• June 2013
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Operations
• June 2013 4,330
properties
covering
238,000 ha
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Farmer Maintenance
Council undertakes
• Facilitation of maintenance
• Provide at cost chemicals, traps
• Continued advise and education
• Further control (if appropriate)
• Inspection and enforcement
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Possum maintenance
The self-help possum control programme
Is achieving effective long-term possum
control for properties in the programme
• Monitoring indicated possum numbers are being
maintained by landholders at very low levels –
2.9% mean RTC
• The outcomes of possum control equals increased
carrying capacity of pasture, enhanced indigenous
biodiversity values and reduced risk of TB.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Programme results
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Monitoring
• Programme
– Pre control
• Used to determine if control is required
• Around 1000 lines are undertaken each year
– Post control
• Used to determine the overall success of the
programme
• Around 350 lines are undertaken each year
• Compliance
– Used to ensure a Notice of Direction has been
complied with
– Lines undertaken as required.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Monitoring for Compliance
Properties are categorized as to the amount of
habitat
• A – Very little habitat without possum control
should only harbour low densities
• B – Without possum control are likely to
harbour medium densities
• C – Without possum control are likely to
harbour high densities.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Monitoring for Compliance
If non compliance is suspected
• Officers inspect to determine possum numbers
and identify if the planned control techniques
are unlikely to ensure compliance
• Notice of Direction under Section 122 of the
Biosecurity act 1993 is issued.
• Trap-catch monitoring undertaken
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Default Action
• TRC will carryout work to below the 10% RTC
at full cost recovery
• Estimated to be between $3,000 and $5,000
on the average property
• TRC Management can sign off on works up to
$5,000 without going to the full Council
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Enforcement
• Well documented and legally robust process
• Clearly understood by staff
• Clearly communicated to land user
• Support from Council and Management
• Utilised when required.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Maintenance Assistance and
Boundary control
• Council funded control
• Targeted to support those farmers who
– Are trying their best, but
– Property location (adjacent to programme boundary)
makes it too difficult financially for them to comply
• Must have a clearly defined criteria and
approval process
• Is assistance only not control on their behalf.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Maintenance Assistance Criteria
• Previous control history
• Land user attitude
• Property category
• Public relations impact
• Potential possum impact
• Total resources
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Tools of the trade
Comprehensive database
• All control and monitoring recorded
• Links to GIS system.
Policy document / SOP’s
• Strategy rules
• Detailed procedures for all possibilities
• Council and Management support for polices.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Conclusion
• The Council’s approach has been proactive
and innovative.
• Council has applied critical success factors of
successful organisational strategy to
– obtain buy-in to the programme
– gain agreement on roles and responsibilities
– maintain capacity to deliver.
Working with people | caring for Taranaki
Questions
Steve Ellis – Biosecurity Manager
Email:
[email protected]
Working
with New
people
| caring
for Taranaki
New Zealand Institute of Forestry
Conference,
Plymouth,
New Zealand,
July 2013