Source: Environmental Protection Authority
The number of aerial 1080 operations increased and covered a greater area in 2022, the Environmental Protection Authority’s annual report on the aerial pest control operations shows.
However, the trend over the past 11 years shows little change in the number of operations or the area covered.
The total area treated in 2022 was 682,205 hectares, up from the previous year’s 468,688 hectares.
The total number of operations was 55, compared with the previous year’s 45.
Increases in 2022 were due to a mast year, when native trees produce many seeds, boosting the number of introduced pests, which in turn threaten native wildlife.
The West Coast had the largest area treated with 1080 – 265,085 hectares. Canterbury was second largest with 100,188 hectares.
Auckland, Gisborne, Nelson, Tasman, and Southland had no aerial 1080 operations in 2022.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) and OSPRI New Zealand Ltd were the main funders of 1080 operations.
Operations have conservation aims, such as protecting native wildlife and plants from introduced pests, and economic aims, such as protecting livestock from bovine TB which can be carried and transmitted by possums.
The EPA’s report summarises the aerial application of 1080 baits and pest control research from 1 January to 31 December 2022. The information comes from the operators’ reports.
