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The eradication of the seven remaining animal pest species remaining on Rangitoto and Motutapu was announced by the Prime Minister and Minister of Conservation in June 2006. With stoats, cats, hedgehogs, rabbits, mice and two species of rats spread across an area of 3842ha, the proposed project is the most challenging and complex island pest eradication the Department of Conservation (DOC) has ever attempted. To better understand the scale and complexity of the project, a feasibility study was undertaken. This study considered the ecological, economic and social context of the project to allow an informed decision to be made on whether or not to commit resources to further eradication planning. This document outlines the findings of the feasibility study and concludes that while a number of contingencies exist within the project, the proposed eradication is not only feasible, but has many significant benefits. No single precedent exists on which this project can be modelled and information from a wide range of sources has been required. Previous eradication and control programmes have been reviewed in conjunction with what is known about the behaviour and biology of the target species. In some cases, where information has not been available and could not be inferred, trials have been undertaken. The document has been reviewed by a number of experts both within New Zealand and overseas including DOC’s Island Eradication Advisory Group. Consultation has also been undertaken with all of the islands’ key stakeholders and communities of interest. Comments from all of these parties have been reflected in the report. Rangitoto is an iconic Scenic Reserve located just 9km from downtown Auckland City. The island is internationally significant both for its ecology and geology and is an extremely popular visitor destination served by regular ferry services. Motutapu, a Recreation Reserve, is connected to and positioned immediately to the east of Rangitoto. The island, currently managed as a pastoral farm, is noted for its extensive archaeological record but retains a diverse range of habitat types and is the focus of a community-led restoration programme. In addressing the question, ‘can it be done?’ particular attention has been paid to mice, ship rats, hedgehogs and rabbits as eradication of these species on the scale of Rangitoto and Motutapu has never been attempted. Preventing reinvasion on such highly accessible and intensively visited islands is also an enormous undertaking. It is accepted, that of all the target species, mice present the greatest risk of failure. However, while a number of mouse eradications around the world have failed, all ten attempts on islands beyond the swimming range of mice that have followed current Departmental best practice have been successful, providing confidence in the method. Rangitoto and Motutapu are a significant step up from previous operations in terms of scale but are also the logical next step to apply current techniques. Despite the unprecedented elements within the project, it is considered that the key dependencies on which eradication success relies can be met for the species targeted. Preventing reinvasion is perhaps the most important consideration of the feasibility study and the one that will ultimately determine the fate of the project. Achieving an adequate level of protection for the islands hinges heavily on changing the behaviour of all 100,000 visitors that arrive on an annual basis. Without this any investments made in removing pests will be wasted. Bringing these changes about appears possible but is contingent on a number of commitments and actions that must be put in place by both DOC and its key partners. The feasibility study also addresses what the project will take to complete and attempts to identify as many of the planning issues as possible to enable the project to be properly sized. It explores the techniques that must be used, the resources that will be required and the timeframe over which they need to be deployed. While this eradication project is the most challenging and complex to be undertaken by DOC, it also presents a significant opportunity to improve our current understanding of eradication theory and practice. If successful, the project offers outstanding benefits for conservation. The recovery of locally and nationally endangered species, the creation of a stepping stone for wildlife movement between the Hauraki Gulf and the Auckland isthmus, the potential for advocacy and education, and increased recreation and economic opportunities are just some of the likely gains. The study has shown that this project is feasible, but also that there are many significant reasons why it should proceed.

The Helping Islands Adapt workshop was held in Auckland, New Zealand between the 11th and 16th of April 2010 to support regional action against invasive species on islands, in order to preserve biodiversity and adapt to climate change. It arose from decisions under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) relating to invasive alien species and island biodiversity, and was hosted by the Government of New Zealand with support from a number of partner organisations and countries. The workshop focused on four major island regions: the Caribbean, Coral Triangle, Indian Ocean and Pacific, and involved participation by 82 people from 24 countries and territories, and 29 national, regional and international organisations (see participants list in Appendix 5). The workshop was specifically designed to allow for the maximum exchange of experience and support between representatives from diverse island regions working in invasive species management. It also included a field inspection of one of the Department of Conservation‘s invasive species management projects on Rangitoto Island in Auckland‘s Hauraki Gulf. The workshop built on efforts under the Cooperative Islands Initiative, a partnership launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development and the CBD 6th Conference of the Parties in 2002. Its intended outputs had been agreed by the organiser‘s steering committee and set out as a 'road map‘ that was used to ensure clarity of the workshop‘s intended purpose, outputs and outcomes. An overview of the workshop, its sponsors, participants and conclusions was developed during the workshop and submitted to the 14th ?Subsidiary Body on Scientific Technical and Technological Advice (SBSSTA 14) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nairobi 10-21 May 2010. That report is provided in full in Appendix 5 to these proceedings.

New Zealand, an archipelago of more than 2000 islands, has a terrestrial fauna especially depauperate in native land mammals. Kiore (Rattus exulans) was the first of four rodent species introduced by people. A project to eradicate invasive rats from Kapiti Island in 1996, represented a turning point in the technology, complexity and scale at which managers of natural heritage on New Zealand islands could operate. This paper includes case studies of some significant projects targeting rodents, sometimes with other introduced mammals, undertaken in the 12 years following Kapiti. Details of the methods, costs, results and outcomes are provided for Kapiti, Whenua Hou, Tuhua, Campbell, Raoul, Hauturu, Taukihepa, and Pomona islands, collectively representing a total of over 23,000 ha of habitat cleared of introduced mammals. Research and trials undertaken in the Kapiti project provided the basis for future environmental risk assessments, allowing other projects to focus on knowledge gaps. New trends in invasive species eradication in New Zealand include more challenging multi-species eradication projects, some of which are undertaken by self- funded community groups. To summarise the lessons of the New Zealand experience: a programmatic approach is recommended which will fit each eradication within a context or framework of goals for those islands; address biosecurity issues at the outset; build capability to attempt the most challenging and rewarding projects; facilitate investment in monitoring and manage expectations of stakeholders to ensure their ongoing support. Success breeds success but is never guaranteed.

Wildlife trafficking is a large-scale multi-billion dollar industry worldwide. The illegal trade of wildlife has reached such prominence that it has the potential to devastate source populations of wildlife, impacting on the integrity and productivity of ecosystems in providing food and resources to the local economy. In order to protect these resources, legislation has been put in place to control the trade of wildlife in almost every country worldwide. Those assigned with enforcing these laws have the monumental task of identifying the exact species that are being traded, either as whole living plants or animals, as parts that are dried, fried or preserved, or as derivatives contained within commercial products.

Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, such as clean air, fresh water, and the pollination of crops. The aim of this literature review was to find empirical data illustrating the ways in which conservation land and conservation management activities affect ecosystem services. The widely-held belief that natural ecosystems—such as those found on conservation land in New Zealand—provide a range of ecosystem services is generally supported by the literature. International studies show that natural vegetation can decrease air pollution, regulate local air temperatures, improve water quality, reduce shallow soil erosion, and retain natural nutrient cycles. It can also be beneficial for pest control and pollination on agricultural land. Wetlands can improve water quality and can play a role in drought and flood mitigation. Seagrasses, saltmarsh vegetation, and mangroves can reduce the height and force of waves and play a role in flood protection. In addition, maintaining biodiversity preserves genetic libraries and future options for discoveries of valuable biological compounds. The few studies investigating the effects of conservation management activities on ecosystem services indicate that restoring vegetation can improve water quality and water storage functions, can reverse soil degradation on a local scale, and can restore plant-insect interactions. Additionally, removing some invasive plant species can increase water yield. Unfortunately, very few studies of ecosystem services have been conducted in New Zealand to date, and only some of the international results are likely to be applicable under New Zealand conditions. Accordingly, while conservation is probably beneficial for a range of ecosystem services in New Zealand, the scarcity of local data makes it difficult to ascertain where and when, and to what extent, the majority of those benefits transpire. Keywords: ecosystem services, air, climate, water, soil, pest control, disease regulation, pollination, natural hazard protection, nutrient cycling, fish stocks, biodiversity, conservation management, natural habitat, restoration.

This report provides a comprehensive yet simple guide to the construction and use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) for collating, analysing, updating and managing data in wildlife management or research projects. The spatial analysis of yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho, Megadyptes antipodes) nest site data from Boulder Beach. Otago Peninsula, is used as an example. The report describes the key components used in the construction of the GIS, which included aerial photography, a digital elevation model and habitat map of the study area, and nest site data collected at Boulder Beach between 1982 and 1996. The procedures for estimating the geographic locations of nest sites using historical hand-drawn sketch maps are also described, demonstrating the potential for incorporating and analysing historical datasets in this type of GIS. The resulting GIS was used to conduct simple spatial analyses of some of the characteristics of yellow-eyed penguin nesting habitat selection, as well as the densities of nest sites in each type of nesting habitat at Boulder Beach. The sources of error, uncertainty and other limitations of this and other GIS arc described, along with procedures and steps to minimise and avoid them. The yellow-eyed penguin GIS described in this report provides an example of the potential utility of GIS in ecological research and management of both yellow-eyed penguins and many other species.

In 1989, the kakerori (Pomarea dimidiata) was one of the 10 rarest bird species in the world, with a declining population of just 29 birds. During each breeding season since then, rats have been poisoned within the 155 ha of forested hill country they occupy in the Takitumu Conservation Area in southeastern Rarotonga. As a result, the kakerori population has rebounded, with a minimum of 292 birds found on Rarotonga in August 2003. In 2001/02, the emphasis of management shifted from the .recovery. of kakerori to a programme aimed at .sustaining. the population at 250.300 individuals. The major changes were an experimental reduction in rat poisoning effort to a level where recruitment of kakerori balances annual mortality, and a series of transfers to establish an insurance population on the island of Atiu. In 2003/04, all bait stations were filled fortnightly, rather than the previous mix of weekly and fortnightly refills. This reduced labour costs by 30% to 32 person days, and used a total of 39 kg of Talon® (active ingredient brodifacoum), which was only 13% of the maximum annual poison use over the same area during the .recovery. phase of the programme. Breeding success was high (0.91 fledglings/ breeding territory), even in the unpoisoned areas, and a record total of 80 fledglings was detected. The fortnightly poisoning regime offers promise as an effective, cheaper and less toxin-intensive method than that used previously, and so we recommend maintaining this regime in 2004/05, so that the longerterm effects can be assessed. A third and final batch of 10 young kakerori was transferred to Atiu Island in August 2003. This .insurance. population is becoming well established; the five breeding pairs monitored in 2003/04 each raised two fledglings, and a minimum of 15 birds was found in May.June 2004 in the small part of the island that was searched.

In 1989, the kakerori (Pomarea dimidiata) was one of the ten rarest bird species in the world, with a declining population of just 29 birds in the Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA) of southeastern Rarotonga. As a result of conservation management, the kakerori population rebounded, with up to 300 birds being recorded on Rarotonga and Atiu in 2004/05. The southern Cook Islands was, however, hit by five tropical cyclones over a 4-week period in February–March 2005, and much of the forest on exposed faces, spurs and ridges (traditional kakerori habitat) was severely damaged. The population survived remarkably well, with a minimum of 274 adults known to be alive in the TCA in August 2005. An additional 17 adults were found on Atiu between August 2005 and March 2006. The main\ casualties of the cyclones on Rarotonga appeared to be young birds (1–3 years old) and very old birds (> 20 years old). Because the population on Rarotonga remained well within the management target of 250–300 individuals, rat poisoning was again done fortnightly, as in the previous 2 years. Breeding productivity was exceptionally poor in 2005/06, mainly because of nesting failures or early fledgling deaths caused by abnormally wet conditions during the main fledging periods. Nests were more exposed to the elements because the cyclones had extensively defoliated the canopy. Furthermore, rats were often seen foraging during the day, apparently struggling to find food (few trees were fruiting). Only 22 fledglings were definitely seen in 2005/06; however, some territories were not checked or poorly checked during the breeding season, and some fledglings may have dispersed to better vegetated sites. We recommend that rat control should return to the weekly poisoning regime used during the 1989–2001 recovery phase of the kakerori management programme if the August 2006 census reveals that the population has fallen below 220 birds (a 20% decline from pre-cyclone levels). Otherwise the regime of the sustainable management phase (fortnightly poisoning) should continue.