Opposition to aerial 1080 poisoning for control of invasive mammals in New Zealand: risk perceptions and agency responses

Abstract

Public opposition to the aerial broadcast of sodium fluoroacetate (1080) poison pellets in New Zealand is an issue for pest management agencies who use it for protecting indigenous wildlife and reducing bovine Tb levels. The first part of this study analyses a wide range of concerns expressed in 525 submissions made to the Environmental Risk Management Authority in 2007 opposing the re-registration of 1080. In the second part of this study we evaluate the information produced by pest management agencies about 1080 for its coverage of the range of perceived risks identified in the submissions. The information produced by agencies addresses most issues of technical risk, but few risks identifying ethical, economic, social, research and operational concerns. The submissions and agency responses are analysed in the framework of risk communications research and approaches to 'wicked' problems. This shows that focusing only on improving the written material on 1080 risks will not reduce critical public concerns about aerial use of 1080. Both risk communication practice and approaches to 'wicked' problems emphasize the importance of engaging in dialogue with relevant players to progress socially complex issues. We argue that a more deliberate and strategic effort to build dialogue and collaboration with key communities is needed. Agencies need to engage relevant experts and sustain initiatives over time to build trust and move forward. Science is an important voice to be at the table, but is only one among several.

A comparison of attitudes towards introduced wildlife in New Zealand in 1994 and 2012

“…There has been an ongoing public debate on the use of 1080 in New Zealand (Green & Rohan 2012) and, in general, preference for any poison use is low and continues to decline (Fraser 2006). This could lead to increased conservation conflict since government policy focuses on increasing 1080 use (PCE 2011).…”

Past, present and two potential futures for managing New Zealand’s mammalian pests

“…This issue of community support does not apply only to the control methods, but also to the goals of pest management, especially as these increase in scale and vision. To gain complete support will require the lead agencies to work with communities in partnership, rather than through the currently used consultation process in which decisions are made essentially without wider inputs, and then delivered to communities more or less as fait accompli (Green & Rohan 2011). The risk with the vision is that, despite local and international enthusiasm, it may distract focus and resources from advancing the practical improvements we know we can achieve under the current or enhanced mainland island/network models, i.e.…”

“…Ungulates may also be killed in aerial 1080 operations but generally this by-kill is too low and too infrequent to count as effective control (Veltman & Parkes 2002). However, it does often annoy recreational deer hunters, leading to one source of opposition to aerial baiting (Green & Rohan 2011). Despite ongoing opposition to the use of aerial 1080, baiting has increased with the species targeted broadening from rabbits in semi-arid grasslands and possums in predominantly broadleaf-podocarp forest , to include ship rats and stoats (and possums) in masting beech forests (DOC 2014).…”

Field Trial of an Aerially-Distributed Tuberculosis Vaccine in a Low-Density Wildlife Population of Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

“…This has been achieved across easily accessible farmland areas predominantly using ground-based trapping and poisoning, but more than a third of New Zealand’s TB endemic area is heavily forested, and/or steeply mountainous, and/or remote. Ground-based methods are difficult or prohibitively expensive in such areas [15], but conversely the alternative of aerial deployment of toxins is sometimes contentious among landowners and the public [16], even though brushtail possums are widely viewed as conservation pests. In general, the practice of intensive lethal control of wild animals for disease management is controversial, particularly where the wildlife host(s) are highly valued, as is the case with white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Michigan USA [17] and with badgers ( Meles meles ) in Europe [18].…”