Ōkārito Pest Control Programme
The Ōkārito Pest Control Programme aims to control animal pest species in Ōkārito Forest.
What are we protecting?
Ōkārito Forest is home to the critically endangered rowi (Ōkārito brown kiwi). Rowi are the rarest kiwi with less than 400 remaining, and the Ōkārito Pest Control Programme is primarily undertaken to protect this species.
The forest and associated wetlands and coastal area are also home to kaka, kakariki, unique lowland kea, spoonbill, little penguin/korora and New Zealands only white heron/kotuku breeding colony.
What are the threats?
Rat populations at Ōkārito exhibit spectacular boom and bust population dynamics in response to podocarp seeding rates, particularly during rimu mast events. Stoat populations follow the rat population cycles, and can have a major effect when switching prey to bird species when rat numbers crash because the available food has been eaten.
Possums also feed on the leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits of Halls totara, rata, kamahi, fuschia, wineberry, and five finger. This leads to dieback and eventual tree death and has a negative effect on many bird species due to reduced food availability.
Why use 1080 pest control?
1080 has been used in the Ōkārito Kiwi Zone very successfully. After a 1080 operation in 1998, a reduction in stoat numbers resulted in the first recorded rowi chicks reaching maturity in the wild.
The 2011 operation is timed to achieve significant direct poisoning of ship rats which results in the secondary poisoning of stoats. Possums will also be killed in this operation. This "triple hit" approach provides effective control of pests to prevent predation competition.
The Department of Conservation regards the pesticide 1080 as the most cost effective and practicable tool for pest control in this area.