KEY POINTS:
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is defending its use of aerial drops of the 1080 to control pests in rural areas.
Critics say the dangers of the poison far outweigh any good outcome.
But DOC said in a statement today using 1080 to manage possum, rat and stoat
populations allowed birds to breed and survive, forest canopies to recover from over browsing, trees to flower and fruit and produce seedlings before re-invasion by pests,
Tensions between the pro and anti 1080 campaigners have increased in recent weeks with letters, thought to have contained the poison, being delivered to government departments and a dog belonging to a Greymouth pest control contractor was fed 1080 in the back of his vehicle.
Christchurch's popular Hagley Park was also evacuated last month after pellets were scattered through it, with signs warning the public they contained 1080 poison.
However, DOC today stood firm by its decision to continuing laying 1080, saying it would not use it unless it worked, was not detrimental to the environment, and did not threaten humans.
DOC said 1080 was the only toxin that could be applied aerially for pest control and for this reason it was invaluable because of the ability to manage pests efficiently in large scale remote and difficult terrain.
Alternative ground control methods were less effective or less efficient and often too dangerous to consider for some operations because of difficult terrain.
The Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) assessed use of the poison and described it as a "necessary evil" with no economic alternative for culling possums.
However, it did recommend extra scientific effort into studying 1080 after finding gaps in research on the poison.
DOC said it had taken on board all of the recommendations from Erma's reassessment to improve its operations and community relations around 1080 use.
"With no viable alternative in sight in spite of many years of research, the use of 1080, under strict guidelines, will continue to be the saviour of native species and habitats," it said.
DOC pointed to the success of blue duck breeding programmes in areas where 1080 had been applied.
"On the Mangatepopo River, where 1080 was applied on one side of the river, chick survival to fledging was 36 per cent.
"Compare this to the Whakapapa River, where both sides of the river were treated with 1080, and chick survival was exceptional with fledging at 88 per cent.
"This contrasts hugely with previous years productivity on the Whakapapa, when no pest control was undertaken - no chicks hatched or fledged."
DOC also pointed out that following the 1080 pest control operation, kiwi chick survival had skyrocketed in the monitored population by 64 per cent.
Today, in a well regulated environment, the use of 1080 as a conservation pest control tool was making real differences for threatened wildlife and its habitats, DOC said.
- NZPA
