Some animals and birds could lose protected status

Some farmers regard canada geese as a pest. File picture / Wairarapa Times-Age

Conservation Minister Chris Carter says he is looking at whether some animals, including some native birds, should continue to be protected from hunters by the Wildlife Act.

The minister has put canada geese -- loathed by some farmers for eating and soiling valuable pasture -- at the top of the potential hit list.

But he said today there were also "issues" over spur-winged plover, peacocks and peahens, shags, harrier hawks, the little owl, eastern rosellas, crimson rosellas and ring-necked parakeets, ring-necked doves, rainbow skinks, banjo frogs, bell frogs and even feral chickens.

The Department of Conservation today released a discussion paper on proposed changes to the schedules of the Wildlife Act 1953, which provide the protection for these species.

"There are a number of species listed in the schedules of the Wildlife Act which many groups feel have too much or too little protection," Mr Carter said. "We have reached the point where we need to resolve these issues."

He said a lot of threatened native insects received no protection at all despite the fact there was a growing trade in exporting them.

"The review will consider whether some limited legal protection should be extended to these insects," Mr Carter said.

He said the canada goose had partial protection, but could cause significant damage to crops if its numbers built up, and the review would consider what level of protection was appropriate.

And the spur-winged plover -- an Australian bird which had naturalised in this country -- was a leading cause of bird-strike on commercial aircraft.

"How much protection does it deserve?" Mr Carter asked.

Federated Farmers has been agitating for wholesale slaughter of canada geese, calling for their re-classification under the Wildlife Act to allow people to kill as many as they want, whenever they want.

According to Federated Farmers president Charlie Pedersen, a poll of members found that about 90 per cent of respondents supported removing canada geese from the partial protection given to game birds, such as only hunting them in season.

Mr Pedersen has also called for DOC to stop protecting spur-winged plovers and paradise ducks, which he said farmers found to be a nuisance because the ducks ate crops and during the nesting season plovers defended "their" territory fiercely against allcomers, including farmers trying to move about their properties.

Other farmers have separately called for the re-instatement of migratory bar-tailed godwits as a game bird -- shooting them was banned in 1941.

DOC said today that Fish and Game was spending an average of $115,000 a year culling canada geese in the South Island alone.

Forest and Bird also welcomed the announcement that their regulatory protection may be lifted.

Advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell said there was a question whether abundant introduced game birds protected outside the hunting season, such as canada geese and mallard ducks, actually needed to be protected at all.

DOC has presented several options, including no change to their status, removing all protection, or removing their protection in the North Island and managing them as a game bird in the South Island.

Mr Hackwell also welcomed moves to list some native insects -- including the katipo spider -- and threatened marine species such as the 14m whale shark, manta and devil rays, the deepwater nurse shark, and some native corals.

- NZPA