1080 is a shit issue for sure – the possums have to go and the
approved way is to poison. I can’t stand the fact that we are keeping
that poison factory open in the US just for us and it just seems Kali
Yuga-ish to save the environment by poisoning – yet the Northern Rata
were so great this year, so beautiful and magnificent. This report
disturbs me because of the statement from DOC
Stuff
But DOC spokesperson Rory Newsam said there had been a 1080 poison drop planned for months.
“There is a planned 1080 drop on Moehau, up on the Coromandel, but that’s been on the cards for a long time,” he said.
“That’s well-documented. We also don’t know if 1080 has any impact on the frogs.”
umm who cares if it is planned and what has that to do with anything – oh – costs etc
The impact on our endemic species of frogs isn’t known? I find this
hard to believe – haven’t they sussed that out even a little?
Friends of the Earth New Zealand Director Tucker said in
Hunua’s 1993 1080 drop, 50 per cent of the Hochstetter’s frogs
disappeared from the main monitoring site.
Our frogs are so unique with no voice-box and no tadpole stage – we
must save and protect them and we must ensure that what we are doing to
save other species doesn’t adversely affect them – it is the minimum
requirement.
I just don't understand why keas have to die to test whether 1080 baits are attractive to them or not. Can we not test these baits first or is that too hard. I know the arguments around 1080, the improvements in the forest and native species, the birdsong and the flowers - but I cannot reconcile throwing poison into the environment to kill them - it just seems like more hubris from people rather than looking, listening and learning from Mother Nature. After all, stoats were brought here deliberately by the colonists to help sort the rabbits out, which were brought here deliberately - the solution created more problems than the original problem and that's because nature wasn't considered at all - it was just a thing that could be managed, manipulated and mangled to achieve man's ends. That worldview is destructive to our environment and society - it distances us from ourselves and our heritage as living organisms within the total ecosystem. That worldview considers us seperate from nature and is in opposition to indigenous worldviews where the holistic nature of reality is endorsed.
ODT
Department of Conservation has reported the deaths of seven keas following a recent 1080 pest control operation on the West Coast that was designed to prevent the birds eating poison baits. They follow seven kea deaths reported in the Franz Josef and Fox Glacier area in 2008, with the possum-killing 1080 poison pinpointed then as the most likely cause of death.
So sad that these beautiful unique birds have died. I hope we sort this out soon.
The issue of possums and 1080 is a big one. There are arguments on both sides of the debate which deserve consideration. Possums have to go - no doubt about that. Te Runanga o Makaawhio are saying no to 1080 in their rohe.
From The Dominion Post
"Te Runanga o Makaawhio deputy chairman Terry Scott said yesterday that the Bruce Bay hapu of Ngai Tahu had never been happy with the toxin and the runanga had now ruled it would no longer agree to its use. Some drops had already been signed off, however, including the biggest yet, planned for this winter to cover from Hokitika to Whataroa."
Mr Scott said Makaawhio realised there had to be some form of possum control and previously signed its consent as an affected party, while imposing conditions on where 1080 should be dropped.
"One of the problems is, there has been no ongoing research into alternatives. For more than 50 years, constantly the response from politicians was, `we are working on it'. That's a very easy answer. We don't want the poison on our land."
Yes where are the alternatives?
I agree with Makaawhio - poisoning the land is just not the answer.
