No room in Ark for some endangered species

By ANNE BESTON environment reporter

Some endangered species may miss out this summer as an emergency pest-killing operation gets under way.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter announced the first phase of "Operation Ark" - a $900,000 intensive pest control programme - would be carried out later this year.

But while 11 critical sites have been identified, only three will be covered this year.

That means two areas of inland Canterbury, to protect orange-fronted kakariki, and Clinton Valley in Fiordland National Park to protect the native blue duck, whio, will get intensive predator control if necessary.

But it also means mohua, or yellowhead, in the Catlins Forest east of Invercargill may have to fend for themselves if a pest plague occurs this breeding season.

Lobby group Forest and Bird is questioning the Department of Conservation's priorities.

Spokesman Kevin Hackwell said while he understood the need to throw resources at the endangered orange-fronted kakariki, threatened again this coming breeding season with a pest plague sparked by heavy beech tree seeding, but mohua could also be in big trouble. "It's the bird [the mohua] on our $100 note, we shouldn't have to face that going locally extinct. That's just not on," he said.

But mohua are also found in the Canterbury habitat of orange-fronted kakariki so would benefit from Operation Ark, the minister said.

But he acknowledged there was a high risk of a rat and/or stoat plague in the Catlins. DoC had "faced the choice of protecting the Catlins this year or accepting a potential loss", the minister said.

Mohua number around 5000 nationwide while whio and orange-fronted kakariki are in the low hundreds.