Quick Dips

What to do with Pests

One of the major issues facing researchers and policy makers worldwide is the need to address public concerns about environmentally acceptable ways of dealing with pests, says Landcare Research scientist David Morgan, who recently attended the international Vertebrate Pest Conference in California. He says public interest groups have taken up issues of pesticide use, the humaneness of management techniques and the treatment of wild animals.

"There are different perceptions when it comes to wild animals, from cute and cuddly creatures to disease-spreading, livestock-killing pests. The humaneness of techniques is a very subjective area and people generally see non-lethal methods of control as less harmful and therefore more humane than lethal techniques. Public opposition to some lethal methods such as toxic baiting has meant managers have had to find new ways to control some animals seen as pests."

One problem Morgan cites is that most people don't understand the principles of wildlife management. It embraces a wide range of disciplines from ecology and agriculture to economics and toxicology, so it is difficult to teach below tertiary level.

"Therefore only a very small sector of society develops a good understanding of wildlife management issues, such as the benefits gained from using vertebrate pesticides."

He says the debate is clouded by an increasingly urbanised population with little experience and understanding of nature, and the growth of the animal welfare and rights movement that has, in some cases, a financial interest in promoting conflict. Morgan says the situation is better in New Zealand where there is more commitment to public participation.

"The nation's policy makers are sensitive to public opinion on pest management issues, as evidenced by the recent debate on myxomatosis, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's inquiry on 1080, the current updating of animal welfare legislation, and the setting up of a national committee on novel genetic techniques as early as 1978."

However, he believes New Zealanders shouldn't be complacent about the need for ongoing public involvement.

"We still need to be vigilant about the humaneness of current and planned control techniques including traps, toxins, disease, chemosterilants, and habitat manipulation. We have to integrate social and cultural needs such as hunting and food gathering into control strategies, for example the use of hunters to control pests and turn them into a resource. One of the key issues is the area of ownership and stakeholding of resources, and it is therefore vital that there is a wider appreciation of the attitudes and aspirations of Maori in managing lands under iwi ownership."

Morgan suggests more effort should be made to educate people about the actual and threatened damage from pests, and the use of control methods.

"I believe we should make more effort to reach primary and secondary school students."

He says the lesson from America is that the biggest obstacle to effective wildlife management is an ill-informed and uninvolved public.