13 August
ERMA’s 1080 Findings:
Research Into Alternative Possum Control Methods Vital.
Ongoing and more detailed research into alternative methods of possum control is vital to protecting native biodiversity
and the country’s agricultural economy, say leading New Zealand possum researchers.
Dr Phil Cowan, the leader of Landcare Research’s Pest Control Technologies Team, has welcomed today’s findings of the
Environmental Risk Management Authority’s (ERMA) review of the ongoing use of 1080 poison.
ERMA has announced it will impose a new management regime for the use of 1080, including a requirement that all aerial
operations using 1080 will be actively monitored by ERMA staff. But Dr Cowan says ERMA’s call for further research to be
undertaken into alternative methods of possum control and into some of the effects of 1080 is highly significant.
Landcare Research scientists are already undertaking a range of world-class projects to reduce possum numbers and
minimise any negative impacts of 1080.
These include studying different methods of spreading 1080, and just how much needs to be applied.
“In essence, how little 1080 can we use and still get effective outcomes with minimal risks,” Dr Cowan says.
Landcare Research, as part of the National Research Centre for Possum Biocontrol, is also undertaking studies into
fertility control of possums which if successful, could potentially reduce the extent to which toxins such as 1080 are
required.
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Background
Dr Cowan leads a team of 22 science staff providing improved pest management through new and improved management
strategies, tools and techniques – ranging from biological control to traps and toxins. The team have expertise in
wildlife pest ecology, impact assessment, trap design and testing, animal welfare, toxicology, bait development,
immunology, virology, reproductive biology, modelling, and decision support systems
ENDS