[ad_1]
The Department of Conservation has softened its plan to control tahr in the Southern Alps, an invasive species that kills and destroys native plants in New Zealand’s alpine environment.
Your playlist will load after this announcement.
The Tahr Foundation told 1 NEWS that the revised policy does not address their concerns. Source: 1 NEWS
The controversial plan originally would have seen thousands of tahr slaughtered to reduce the population to manageable levels, which was protested by recreational and commercial hunters.
Hunters appreciate tahr trophy bulls, and under the revised control plan, hunters will largely leave them alone.
Tahr within Aoraki / Mt Cook and Westland / Tai Poutini National Parks are still in the firing line for DOC, with the goal of reducing the population to zero.
Recreational, guided, and commercial hunting would be allowed in the areas to achieve that goal.
Outside of the wild range, there is also a target to control all tahr. However, the population control plan in other areas has been relaxed.
Your playlist will load after this announcement.
The protest movement is slowly growing with the former All Black now on board. Source: 1 NEWS
Within most of the range, only large groups of female tahr or juveniles would be attacked, with prized males and smaller groups left alone for hunters.
DOC will also work with Ngai Tahu to develop a research and monitoring program, with the advice of the Game Council to be considered for remaining control efforts outside the national parks.
The review came after the Tahr Foundation requested a judicial review of the DOC’s program in July, arguing that there were not enough consultations.
Your playlist will load after this announcement.
The sinister threats have now been referred to the police.
“We are not targeting tahr in popular hunting grounds and are exploring options to improve hunters’ access to public conservation lands, such as extending the tahr popular voting period,” DOC Chief Operating Officer said today. Dr. Ben Reddiex.
“We are also publishing maps showing the locations of bull tahr that we have observed on 425,000ha 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.”
He admitted despite stakeholder submissions, “The finalized Operational Plan will not be able to fully satisfy all stakeholders, as participants sought very different results.”
Comments were received from interested parties, including conservationists, statutory bodies, recreationists, and recreational and commercial tahr hunters, says the DOC.
Your playlist will load after this announcement.
The Department of Conservation has slaughtered 12,000 of the alpine pests to control their numbers. Source: 1 NEWS
However, the NZ Tahr Foundation is still unhappy with the revised operational plan, telling 1 NEWS that it is a “devastating kick in the guts” for the tahr hunting community.
“[The control plan] it has dealt a final blow to the DOC’s relationship with hunters, completely severing our remaining trust in them, “says spokesman Willie Duley.
He accused the DOC of playing “divide and rule between stakeholders” and says the plan is largely the same as the original plan.
“It seems this consultation phase has once again been just lip service,” says Duley.
“This final plan will not only devastate thousands of livelihoods that depend on tahr, but after a week celebrating all the great work hunter-volunteers contribute to conservation projects across the country for ‘Conservation Week ‘This decision really puts all that great work the hunting community does in benefit of endangered native species. “
The DOC says the bull tahr, prized by hunters, will remain on 425,000 hectares of public conservation land, outside of national parks.
