Gerard Hutching14:31, Dec 21 2018
Large areas of NZ's back country are accessible for pest control only by helicopters applying 1080.
New Zealand's native birds are reaping the benefits of aerial 1080 operations.
Numbers of rare and endangered birds have been boosted, including the yellowhead (mohua), blue duck (whio), kea, kaka, rock wren, South Island robin, morepork (ruru), grey warbler, New Zealand falcon (karearea) and kiwi.
The tiny rock wren lives in the alpine zone, threatened by stoats, mice and harsh winters. In areas where 1080 has been applied, it breeds five times more than otherwise.
In the case of the tiny alpine rock wren, the vulnerable bird raised up to five times more chicks after 1080 treatment than without.
In Kahurangi National Park, the great spotted kiwi has recovered following regular large scale pest control applied over two-thirds of the 452,000 hectare region. Previously, most kiwi chicks were killed by stoats.
The Department of Conservation monitored the birds before and after the aerial operations. The results are referred to by the Environment Protection Authority which publishes a report every year on the aerial use of 1080.
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