Pest control to protect our biodiversity
22 July 2019
To celebrate Biosecurity Week, the
Regional Council is highlighting the good mahi going on
round the region.
Biosecurity is about protecting our environment from threats, such as pests, so that our native biodiversity can thrive and so that our economy and cultural values are protected. The work the Regional Council does in this space includes controlling animal, plant, and marine pests.
Regional Council Manager Catchment Services Campbell Leckie says biosecurity is so important when it comes to looking after our environment, and can only be successful when everyone does their bit.
“The principle is partnership. We’re a small part of the biosecurity picture in New Zealand, but when everyone does their bit we can make a big difference.
“It’s increasingly important in New Zealand, particularly with our economy’s reliance on primary industries, that we protect our biodiversity which is being increasingly threatened by a wider range of pests.”
The Regional Council’s biosecurity and biodiversity teams work together towards healthy and functioning biodiversity and halting biodiversity decline.
Animal pests -
possums
Possums are a threat to native biodiversity
because they eat native wildlife, including the eggs and
young offspring of native birds. They also threaten
agriculture because they spread Bovine Tuberculosis and
graze pasture and crops.
The Regional Council has run a
possum control programme in Hawke’s Bay for over 20 years.
90% of the non-conservation land in Hawke’s Bay, around
710,000 hectares, is part of this hugely successful
programme. The Regional Council has supported the farming
community in their possum control, but the programme has
been mainly driven by the farming community. As a result,
possum numbers are under control in the region with less
risk to biodiversity and from Bovine Tuberculosis.
Plant pests – Chilean Needle Grass
Plant pests
can cause issues by out-competing other plants, such as
pasture grass, and can hurt animals. Chilean Needle Grass is
a Total Control Pest plant that takes over large areas if
left uncontrolled, and can cause abcesses on animals.
One way the Regional Council controls this plant is by working with cement and gravel organisations when they extract material for buildings and roads. Sometimes Chilean Needle Grass can be found in rivers, so the Regional Council works with contractors to ensure it isn’t spread when moved from rivers to worksites. When there is a risk the grass might be spread, the contractor can use the affected gravel for paving a road or in a building, where it doesn’t pose a risk of spreading.
Marine pests – hull
cleaning
Marine pests compete with and prey on native
species, modify natural habitats, affect marine industries,
and alter ecosystem processes. Once here, they are difficult
and expensive to get rid of.
A new marine pest management programme run by the Regional Council has engaged Napier Port and other marine stakeholders in reducing marine pests, with hull cleaning practices. By making sure boats have clean hulls, the chance of pests coming into our waters is reduced.
ends