KEY POINTS:
A sustained burst of pest killing has won the South Taranaki branch of Forest & Bird has its inaugural Pestbuster Award.
Volunteers headed by Bob Walkington and Rex Hartley won the Golden Rat Trophy by killing 400 rats, 64 possums, 47 hedgehogs, 43 goats, 22 stoats, 11 weasels, six feral cats, three magpies, two ferrets and one rabbit.
The award, for the most successful trapping of predators and pests threatening native forests and birds, was set up to mark World Environment Day.
South Taranaki worked in two bush blocks near Eltham, each of about 400 hectares.
Mr Hartley, who spends up to six days a month trapping possums, has done volunteer predator control since 1997.
Bob Walkington, who lives near Patea, spends three days a month checking traps, which he has done since 2003.
As pest numbers fall, they have seen and heard more native birds, including toutouwai (North Island robins) and North Island brown kiwi, in the bush blocks.
"Possum and rat numbers are nothing like they were in the blocks 15 to 20 years ago," Mr Walkington said.
"Native orchids have really come away, and the young native trees are doing well with fewer possums."
Introduced pests, such as possums, goats and deer, were some of New Zealand's worst carbon junkies because of the devastation they caused consuming native bush, said Forest & Bird advocacy manager Kevin Hackwell.
South Taranaki branch will receive the Golden Rat trophy at Forest & Bird's annual meeting this month.
Runner-up was Auckland's Ark in the Park, which trapped 78 stoats, 13 weasels and five ferrets in the 12 months.
- NZPA
