DOC pursuing pest control solutions

Possums are devastating Northland forests.

The Department of Conservation and Northland Regional Council will meet early in the New Year to discuss ways of working together on pest control initiatives across Northland.

DOC said it spends more than $3 million on pest control operations in Northland and has active programmes covering a wide range of pests including possums, rats, stoats, pigs, goats and deer on DOC-managed land.

But the Green Party says the Government's budgets cuts are throttling Northland's native forests. The Government has cut $376 million from the DOC budget in real terms over the past seven years, Green Party spokesman Kevin Hague said. Only 2000ha of the 116,000ha of forest managed by DOC in Northland are covered by multi-pest control operations, he said.

Mr Hague's comments follow Forest and Bird last month saying Northland forests were dying because of DOC's neglect.

DOC's conservation partnerships manager Sue Reed-Thomas said the department managed about 100,000ha of the 270,000ha of native forest in Northland and worked with iwi, hapu and local community groups to increase the overall area under pest control.

Ms Reed-Thomas said DOC welcomed the opportunity to work with the regional council on a co-ordinated approach to pest control across the region and would meet with council leaders to explore ways of progressing this approach.

She said the recent successful Te Rarawa-led pest control operation in Warawara shows what can be achieved when iwi, local community groups, DOC and the regional council work in partnership effectively.

Ms Reed-Thomas said DOC was already planning a trial of a new approach to pig control with Te Roroa in the Waipoua Forest next year to prevent the spread of kauri dieback and it would like to explore other similar initiatives with council leaders.