[ad_1]
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Protesters stand outside the Chamois Bar and Grill in Aoraki / Mt Cook in July to listen to speeches by the New Zealand Tahr Foundation. (File photo)
The Department of Conservation has published its revised plan to control tahr.
The reconsidered Tahr Operational Plan for 2020/21, which outlines how DOC will control Himalayan tahr on public conservation lands to protect native alpine ecosystems, was ordered by the High Court in July following a request for judicial review from the Foundation. Tahr from New Zealand.
Judge Dobson’s Superior Court decision granted the DOC permission to conduct 125 hours of its 250-hour tahr control program, but it was directed to consult with stakeholders such as the Tahr Foundation, Game Council and Forest and Bird before I can move on. the second stage.
DOC’s Chief Operating Officer Dr. Ben Reddiex said the approved plan would allow for recreational and commercial hunting of thousands of trophy bulls and other tahr on and off public conservation lands, while moving toward compliance with the objectives of the 1993 Himalayan Thar Control Plan.
READ MORE:
* DOC prepares for second phase of tahr control
* Eighteen threats reported to the police as a result of tahr’s sacrifice
* Eight threats against the DOC tahr control operation referred to the police
Reddiex said the department analyzed the oral and written submissions of 14 interested parties before making a decision.
“With an open mind, we have considered a wide range of submissions from groups and individuals representing the interests of recreational and commercial tahr hunters, as well as conservationists, recreationists and statutory bodies,” he said.
Since mid-July, the DOC has completed 118 hours of monitoring.
John Bisset / Stuff
Conservationists and hunters are divided over the actual tahr population. (File photo)
“While DOC considered each stakeholder request, the finalized operational plan will not be able to fully satisfy all stakeholders, as the applicants sought very different results.
“We are not targeting tahr in popular hunting grounds, and we are exploring options to improve hunters’ access to public conservation lands, such as extending the popular voting period for tahr.”
The DOC will also release maps showing the locations of bull tahr observed on 425,000 hectares of public conservation lands outside of national parks.
“We have already logged over a thousand bull tahr observations that the DOC has left for hunters.”
Another change to the operational plan included the Commerce Department’s urgent work with Ngāi Tahu, researchers and stakeholders to develop an integrated research and monitoring program, which would be underway this summer, he said.
Key elements of the original operational plan will remain in place, and DOC plans to conduct an additional 132 hours of air traffic control inside the wilderness.
“We will be targeting all tahr in Aoraki / Mount Cook and Westland Tai Poutini National Parks shortly.
John Bisset / Stuff
The Himalayan tahr is known to have a major impact on conservation lands. (File photo)
“In national parks we are legally bound to reduce the amount of tahr to the lowest possible densities and it is important that we protect and preserve these special areas for native New Zealand species.”
Before proceeding with control outside the national parks management unit, the DOC would invite the Game Council for a discussion on the results of 2020/21 control operations to date, it said.
“This is an opportunity to discuss the results so far and consider the council’s advice for the remaining control effort outside of the national parks management unit.”
He said the DOC was interested in control, not eradication, and would continue to leave bull tahr for hunters on 425,000ha of public conservation land outside national parks.
“There are also 133,000 ha of Crown pastoral leases and private land, which is where the vast majority of commercial tahr hunting takes place.”
He said DOC would spend 145 hours targeting tahr in exclusion zones and out of the wild to stop the geographic spread of tahr.
“Since January 2019, we have mined more than 900 tahr from outside the wild, including 500 at Mt Hutt.
“The migration of Tahr is a significant threat to conservation values and once Tahr is established and reproduced in a new location, the cost of removing them is substantial.”
