The Bay of Plenty and Waikato regional councils are part of the Tipu M\u0101toro National Wallaby Eradication Programme.<\/p>\n
Bejakovich said this was a collaborative effort between Biosecurity New Zealand, iwi, the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird, Federated Farmers, Land Information New Zealand, farmers, researchers, landowners and communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe programme\u2019s success relies on first preventing their spread from areas where they are already established, which is known as the containment area, and progressively working inwards with control over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the central North Island, the containment area falls mostly in the Bay of Plenty but crosses the border into the Waikato around Rotorua.<\/p>\n
Bejakovich said wallabies had a huge appetite for many of our native flora, which prevented forest regeneration in the long term, changed the forest structure, and reduced their ability to support native birds and other wildlife.<\/p>\n
\u201cWallabies also love pasture grasses, which means they compete with livestock for food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Significant impact<\/p>\n
Bejakovich said the impact on plantation forests could also be significant.<\/p>\n
\u201cTimberlands, who manage the K\u0101ingaroa forest, estimate that the one metre of growth normally expected in the first year from plantings can be reduced by half when browsed by wallabies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t stop the spread of wallabies, they will have even more significant impacts onour native ecosystems and through lost farm and forestry production.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because wallabies are nocturnal and cautious, Bejakovich said, they could be hard to find and control.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent programme activity is focused on surveillance and control of \u2018satellite\u2019 populations in areas outside of the containment area, in buffer areas within containment at critical locations of potential spread, and to reduce reinvasion where we have undertaken successful control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven wallabies are active primarily between dusk to dawn, the use of thermal optics mounted on firearms and thermal and IR cameras mounted to drones has been a game-changer during night-shooting operations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Central North Island Wallaby Containment Area (and fence).<\/p>\n
Bejakovich said contractors with specially trained wallaby indicator dogs and trail cameras were used to locate and determine the extent of wallaby populations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be like finding a needle in a haystack when you are potentially looking for only one or just a few in sometimes difficult terrain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where wallaby populations are confirmed outside of the containment area, councils work with the landowners to plan and deliver wallaby control (currently at no cost to landowners).<\/p>\n
In the longer term, Bejakovich said, the focus was on strategically targeting wallaby populations inside the containment area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the help of landowners, iwi, and community groups, the aim is to progressively reduce the size of the containment area while simultaneously researching and developing new tools for eradicating wallabies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Co-ordinated strategy<\/p>\n
Bejakovich said coordination was key.<\/p>\n
\u201cSporadically targeting large numbers of wallabies via night shooting can cause them to become \u2018gun-shy\u2019 and can scatter them into new or previously cleared areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHabitat and land management changes, like forest harvesting, may also cause wallaby to move into new areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Biodiversity-focused projects within the containment area may include wallaby control as part of their wider pest management objectives.<\/p>\n
Landowners\/managers located within the containment areas can contact their council biosecurity staff for advice on wallaby control options to suit their situation.<\/p>\n
Last year, a 12.5km wallaby-proof fence was completed, running from Rotorua along State Highway 5, following the boundary of Whakawerawera Forest to Lake Rotok\u0101kahi.<\/p>\n
A Bay of Plenty Regional Council wallaby detector dog in action.<\/p>\n
As part of the progressive containment strategy, Bejakovich said the fence helped to stop wallabies from crossing the highway and spreading south, where wallaby control was successfully reducing their numbers.<\/p>\n
Retrofitting wallaby-proof netting to existing fences has also been undertaken at other potential spread points.<\/p>\n
Wallabies are classified as an \u201cunwanted organism\u201d under New Zealand\u2019s Biosecurity Act 1993 \u2013 making it illegal to hold, breed, display, move or transport them without specific authorisations.<\/p>\n
There are also rules in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato\u2019s regional pest management plans that make it illegal to keep live wallabies.<\/p>\n
Bejakovich said it was important to remember that wallabies were pests, not pets.<\/p>\n