Control of predators like rats, stoats and possums has ongoing government funding for the first time after a pre-budget announcement of more than $80 million.
Environmentalists are describing the pre-budget announcement as a big victory for our treasured native lizards, birds and bats.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage made the announcement with full coalition support at Otari-Wilton Bush in Wellington this morning.
"There’s been recognition that our biodiversity is in crisis with 82 per cent of our native birds threatened or at risk of extinction," she said.
The Minister said the funding for the next four years is specifically for targeting predators, with more funding for the environment to be announced in next Thursday's Budget.
"Tools like 1080 is very effective in knocking down rats, stoats and possums but it will also be used for research into new tools and techniques, better baits, better toxins and better traps," she said.
The Department of Conservation is yet to confirm the 1,000 sites the funding will be put to use on, as it wants to see which areas have the largest predator increases during this year's predicted increased beach tree seeding, known as a mast year.
"More than 1.85 million hectares… that's a larger area than DOC's ever been able to do sustained predator control on before."
The ongoing controlled area will be the size of Northland and Auckland combined, she said.
In the past, DOC had to repeatedly scramble to get one-off funding to deal with mast years.
Now they can attack predators to that level every year, meaning that increases in predators following a mast event can be targeted before the next mast event and go further than a band-aid quick fix.
When the beech seed runs out in mast years, the boom in predators then turn to native bird eggs and other species for food.
Forest and Bird chief conservation adviser Kevin Blackwell said the organisation is welcoming the announcement, but more money is necessary for a shot at the Predator Free 2050 goal.
"Every night thousands of animals are being killed in our forests by these pests and we should hopefully in the future be able to do the whole conservation estate," Mr Blackwell said.
He said climate change is leading to an increase in mast years as warmer temperatures affect tree flowering, saying in the last five years, there's been four mast years.
National's goal to be predator free by 2050 wasn’t backed up with sufficient funding and planning according to Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage.
But the opposition’s conservation spokesperson, Sarah Dowie, said today's increase announcement is barely more than inflation and shows the Greens have been impacted by their coalition partners Budget interests.
"It's clear the Greens have been side-lined by their coalition partners and have struggled to gain more investment in the environment because almost a billion went to Winston's diplomats," she said.
SHARE ME