1080 Poison looks similar to these green pellets
Navigating the 1080 Debate: Understanding New Zealand's Controversial Pest Control
Divergent Opinions: The Challenge of Addressing a Split Audience
This has been a topic I’ve shied away from for a long time. After all, how do you accurately tackle a topic that polarizes New Zealanders like nothing else? That topic is 1080.
1080 or sodium fluoroacetate is a poison commonly used to control invasive pests across New Zealand. It’s hard to come across an outdoorsman who wouldn’t have a strong opinion on its use one way or another. Those against its use call it an indiscriminate killer capable of killing non-target species, those for its use believe the good outweighs the bad.
It was interesting putting up a poll asking if we should tackle this topic. Ninety-eight percent of you wanted me too. Amazingly my inbox was almost equally filled with people on both sides of the fence saying it’s a topic that needs to be addressed. But how do you do a topic justice that your audience is split upon? The other day I wrote a post on pest control and saw a lot of people unsubscribe. I suspect that not doing this topic justice would make things pale in comparison.
I commented recently that I firmly believe the good outweighs the bad. But as an outdoorsman, I have many people I love who feel differently. When we tackle major topics of conservation management, we need to approach it with care. Even amongst my close mates, 1080 can be a charged topic.
I’ve thought long and hard about the best way to approach it. So far maybe the best response I can find is this. Could you find common ground with someone who feels different about 1080? Could you see the shared love of the outdoors, and the shared desire to manage ecosystems well? Even if you vehemently disagree about what that should look like?
I personally believe we all benefit from tackling hard topics, with respect, kindness, and an openness to be wrong. I believe good conservation comes when a diverse range of people and opinions are involved. 1080 is an emotionally charged topic. But if we can see people on ‘the other side’ as important, rather than the enemy, it makes having tough management conversations much easier.
So as we tackle 1080, let’s do so from a place of respect towards each other. Let’s think the best about each other, and see if we all can’t learn something together.
Outdoor users have different values. Key amongst them should be respect to others.
Values in Conservation: Reflecting on Personal Belief
I grew up loving hunting. I remember the outcry when a 1080 drop on the Blue mountains in Otago wiped out much of the local fallow deer population. The target species were possums. But it was estimated at the time that four in every five deer inhabiting the forest were killed.
Local outdoorsmen were deeply upset. Primarily because they felt it was avoidable. But it revealed an additional underlying issue, how an ecosystem should be managed. After all, some deer are an invasive pest. It’s certainly true their presence can lead to local extinctions and up north they’re a real threat to Kauri. But for others, they’re a valuable game species. It’s these differing value systems that often cause as much conflict as anything else. What we value reflects the priorities by which we approach conservation.
It’s this area of grey that we often struggle to talk about. After all, it's not wrong to want to be able to hunt. Nor is it wrong to view deer as pests. It is also worth noting some introduced species cause far more damage than others. Additionally, in some circumstances deer repellent is now used by the Department of Conservation. But it’s worth asking yourself, ‘what is the right course of action when a non-targeted species that’s still a pest is killed by 1080?’
There’s a lot of values that sit in the background that determine why we might land in different places about 1080. But it's worth taking some time to consider what you personally feel good conservation management looks like. After all, asking tough questions is how we learn and grow.
Just remember to be respectful of someone who feels differently. This is an emotionally charged topic. Express your views pleasantly, or don’t do it at all. It’s always better to ask a question and possibly learn something than get fired up.
The Otago Fallow Deer population plummeted after a 1080 Drop
The Evolution of 1080 Use in New Zealand: From Then to Now
One of the common problems with 1080 in New Zealand is that its use has evolved over time. This means that oftentimes misinformation abounds when it comes to either past 1080 use or misunderstanding of the way 1080 is applied. It’s helpful to remember that New Zealand has a long history of adapting to conservation challenges as they apply.
This is true across the board. In 1960 Kakapo conservation consisted of a handful of wild birds kept in close proximity to captivity, all of whom died rapidly. Today it involves innovative world-class management across five islands through the use of technology, drones, and artificial insemination. The same principle is true of modern 1080 efforts. They bear little resemblance to the past because, like all areas of conservation in this country, there is a principle to grow and adapt to challenges.
In the past, upwards of thirty kilos of poisoned carrots might be dropped from a helicopter on a single hectare of forest. Effectiveness of success was often not well monitored and regulation of poisoning operations was loose.
Nowadays it costs $12 - 16 per hectare to rid it of pests. The amount of 1080 used is now 1 - 3 kg of poison per hectare. Additionally, pellets are laced with a mix of colors and lures to attract mammals and repel birdlife. Precision drops are now managed with all drops logged through GPS. The switch from carrots to cereal pellets has significantly reduced the rate at which non-target bird species feed on 1080. Other innovations include pre-feeding pests, monitoring before and after operation results, bait flow sensor, and video feed to aerial drops, development in poison-dropping technology.
That’s not to say that things are perfect. Even the department of conservation refers to 1080 as an imperfect solution. But it’s helpful to remember that the idea that 1080 is an indiscriminate killer is not fair, and that the majority of genuine mistakes have been well learned from.
The way 1080 Poison is applied has changed a lot over the years.
Examining Concerns: 1080's Impact on Non-Target Species
A primary concern leveled against 1080 is its indiscriminate impacts on non-target species. So let’s place that under a microscope today. Birds seem to have a greater tolerance for 1080 Poison than mammals. Which makes the poison ideal for a country like New Zealand as we have few native mammals outside of bats, Seals, and Sea lions. Herbivores typically become lethargic and die within six to eighteen hours of consuming 1080.
Approximately 1000 baits are dropped per hectare. It would take consuming seven of the large cereal baits to kill a seventy-kilogram person. Which is why there has never been a human death linked to 1080 in New Zealand.
This does not mean that all birds are not affected by 1080. Kea seem particularly sensitive to the effects of 1080, as are Takahe, Robins, Tomtits. Conversely though, a 1998 study of radio-tagged Kereru and Kaka before and after 1080 drops identified no mortality amongst birds.
That does not mean we’re immune from mistakes. A recent 1080 drop in Kahurangi National park was the first time the poison had been used around Takahe. Unfortunately, several died suggesting research is needed to help find effective Takahe repellents. Kea’s curiosity makes them susceptible to high mortality following 1080 drops. Deer numbers can often drop heavily after a 1080 drop, and dogs can be at a real risk of death if they scavenge the carcasses of poisoned animals. Incorrect application can lead to bait shyness amongst possums which can lead to a lifetime of poison avoidance.
It was recently discovered that Takahe are vulnerable to 1080 Poisoning
Results Speak Louder: Balancing Conservation Success with Mistakes
Yet despite all this. The results speak for themselves. An effective poison operation can provide five seasons of improved safety for local bird populations before pest numbers recover. This is critical as a 2011 study of endangered Whio suggested that duckling survival after a 1080 drop improved by three hundred percent. Similarly, Kiwi chicks see survival rise from twelve percent to fifty-six percent in areas receiving pest control and Fantail survival rises from ten percent to forty-eight percent.
It’s results like these that allow native bird populations the time they need to recover before undergoing the next onslaught of attrition from introduced pests. Without 1080, we’d likely see a much greater abundance of localised extinctions in New Zealand.
Species like Whio thrive after pest control operation.
New Zealand Conservation Stories is independent from all other conservation organisations in NZ. I receive no third-party funding and have no government affiliation. All views are my own and based on publicly available information.
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