Social and biodiversity benefits of predator eradication in a Central Otago community
More than a century of burning, clearing and grazing in Central Otago has created dry rabbit-prone ecosystems that bear little resemblance to their pre-European state. Iconic biota has largely vanished or is confined to remnants of indigenous vegetation, while pasture and grape vines dominate the landscape. This has led to a degree of nonchalance among local communities, in an area not especially known for its community focus on biodiversity conservation. In contrast, a group of people, based in Alexandra and Wanaka, concerned about the loss of indigenous species and lack of community involvement in conservation, formed a charitable trust (Central Otago Ecological Trust) in 2005 to rectify this situation. Their mission was to re-establish locally extinct populations of indigenous lizards in an accessible area where people could enjoy them in the wild and be involved in the restoration process. This work receives tremendous support from the Department of Conservation, who are partners in the project. The trust’s first major activity was to organise a public celebration of the return of a threatened species, Otago skinks (obtained from private breeders in the North Island), to the Alexandra area where they were last seen in the 1970s. These skinks were held at the trust’s captive breeding facility in preparation for their liberation into a 14-ha predator-free, fenced area on a nearby public reserve.
While the size of this endeavour is small by national standards, it is nevertheless a non-trivial and expensive undertaking. The trust was conscious of ensuring value for money and minimising the risks of biological or financial failure. It therefore spent 3 years undertaking a pilot study in a smaller 0.3-ha fenced area to test the feasibility of re-establishing a wild skink population. Pests were eradicated inside the fence and 28 captive-bred skinks were introduced in two cohorts 2 years apart. The trust monitored their survival and reproduction, and found it was comparable with that observed for skinks in the wild protected from predators. Part way through the trial, however, mice inadvertently penetrated the fence and began preying on skinks. This was followed by a sharp reduction in skink survival. The trust subsequently eradicated the mice and blocked their potential entry points, and the findings of the trial were formally published to alert other conservation groups to the dangers of mice. These findings modified the trust’s planning process for the next stage of its work inside the 14-ha fence, due to be built in 12 months.
The most surprising aspect of the project so far, however, has been the wider benefits to the community that go beyond just lizards. The project has raised considerable interest in conservation in the district. The trust has 91 active volunteers, 18 foundation members, 29 private donators, 23 corporate donators and 154 people registered for its newsletter. It has also hosted 30 field days for the general public and 20 visits by schools, scout groups, University of the Third Age, Forest & Bird and ecotourism companies. Ten to 20 people usually attend field days from as far away as Dunedin and Wanaka. Television, radio and newspaper interviews are a regular activity. The trust has given 30 invited talks to schools and community groups. The Alexandra Museum has a public display of live Otago skinks donated by the trust and a model skink is now displayed on the entrance sign to the museum on the main street (photo).
The project has also inspired a range of artwork, including skink paintings by Rebecca Gilmore and Alan Waters, sculptures by Jenny Knowles (see photos), a children’s book by Pam Chapman, poetry by Shirley Grave in her book The Grasshopper: poems, limericks & children’s verse, and adornment of Escape Rentals vans with imagery of Otago skinks (photo).
What has been even more encouraging for the trust is to see the local community celebrating indigenous species by constructing a skink float for the 2008 Alexandra Blossom Festival. This was quite an achievement given the community’s traditional focus on celebrating introduced species, such as the Alexandra Thyme Festival and the Easter Bunny Hunt.
The trust’s success has been recognised by being chosen as the 2010 regional winner of the Heritage and Environment Category Trustpower Community Award for Central Otago, the 2010 winner of the Inland Otago Conservation Award, and the 2012 overall winner of the Trustpower Community Award for Central Otago.
The extent and breadth of social engagement with what began as a simple lizard conservation project has come as a pleasant but unexpected surprise to trust members. To see people, from very young to very old, developing genuine interest and enthusiasm for conservation in Central Otago is perhaps the most gratifying. People have an innate yearning to see wildlife in their natural state – communities only have to provide opportunities for people to get involved.
Grant Norbury
Publicity around the re-establishment of endangered Otago skinks near Alexandra
Alexandra Blossom Festival. Image – Grant Norbury.
Entrance sign Alexandra museum. Image – Grant Norbury.
Skink paintings by Rebecca Gilmore and Alan Waters. Image – Grant Norbury.
Sculpture by Jenny Knowles. Image – Grant Norbury.
Escape Rentals van with imagery of Otago skinks.
