Pest Eradication

Animal & Plant Pests

This is an extremely important part of ecological restoration. The eradication of these pests is essential to the survival of our native fauna and flora. The eradication of the animal pests will enable us to achieve the goal of being a ‘Pest Free’ Island, which will lead to the introduction of endangered species such as the Weka, Brown Teal Duck, Kereru etc. The following is a list of the animal and plant pests we have here on Matakana Island, what they do, and what we are doing to control/eradicate them.

Animals Pests

Possums
Strip young buds of trees, eat young saplings, damage trees, predate eggs of birds and young chicks
- Trapping at dotterel sites during nesting season, running private lines throughout the forestry.

Stoats
Are a real cunning predator – they are regarded as the worst predator to our native wildlife. Real nasty, kill anything and everything they can. They can also swim & climb!
- Trapping no.4&no.6 fenn traps and doc2000 traps

Feral Cats
Are also real nasty predators, killing machines, carry diseases which are harmful to cattle, sheep & humans.
- Steel cage cat traps & also use no.1 victor leghold traps

Rabbits
eat young spinifex and pingao shoots, destabilise dunes by burrowing
- Pindone pellets

Plant Pests

Woolly Nightshade
Grows prolifically here on the Island, is found mainly in the gullies. Has large amounts of seeds and is spread easily by birds.
- We are currently looking at more environmentally friendly methods such as bio-control to take care of this pest plant

Grey Willow
This is an extremely invasive pest plant. This is our biggest challenge to eradicate. Grey Willow overtakes and chokes wetlands as it spreads rapidly mainly by the wind.
- Drilling and poisoning with herbicide

Royal Fern
Forms dense mats and smothers native flora in wetlands. It is found mainly at the northern end of the Island.
- This plant is manually removed with a spade

Boneseed
Easily spread by birds as it has many berries.
- Poisoning with herbicide

Wilding Pines
These have become a real problem on Matakana Island. They are steadily infiltrating our dune systems and causing instability. These pines need to be eradicated and replaced with hardy, coastal species such as Pohutukawa, Ngaio, Taupata, Tauhinu etc.