Climate change could lead to 1080 issues, says ECan councillor
Climate change could compromise the effectiveness of 1080 poisoning, according to an Environment Canterbury councillor. Such an outcome could pose issues for both the regional council and landowners as they try to combat a growing wallaby problem in South Canterbury. ECan councillor Dr Elizabeth McKenzie, who leads the South Canterbury Biosecurity Advisory Group, said the recent National Institute for Water and Atmospheric research (Niwa) on climate change highlighted the seriousness of the matter. READ MORE: * Climate change stirs up debate at ECan meet the candidates event in Timaru * Serious concerns over long, dry summer see farmers asked to take less water * Emphasis on keeping tabs on wallabies, ECan says, as council fails to hit targets * Wallaby problem spreading in South Canterbury The report highlighted that South Canterbury would be more susceptible to droughts, which would limit the impact of 1080, McKenzie said. "1080 has a residence time of four to six months, depending on weather conditions, and you have to have rain otherwise it wont break down, if it doesnt break down it is still poisonous, and you wont be able to restock the land. In particular, inland areas are projected to feel it the most, particularly the southern Mackenzie Basin, which could have 60 to 85 more hot days each year. When asked about McKenzies claims, Otago University Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology lecturer Dr Belinda Cridge said 1080 in the soil is broken down by bacteria. I would expect this process to continue under changed climate conditions depending on the extent of the change, Cridge said. Rainfall helps distribute the chemical into the soil where it can come into contact with the bacteria and also dilutes the chemical. This means that more chemical particles come into contact with the bacteria that facilitate its chemical breakdown. Meanwhile, McKenzie said ECan biosecurity staff were coming back with some info on possible future options to avoid the wallaby population ballooning out of control with devastating consequences on trees, plants, crops and grass. "They have already approached the manufacturer about possible reformulation but it is currently no-go, because they would have to reapply for Environmental Protection Agency approval, which would almost certainly be refused, as the poison regulations are much tighter now," McKenzie said. "At least the farmers have now clawed back their ability to use semi-automatics to control wallaby, but this only works for small populations. We have a lot of funding to poison wallaby now, but unless we exterminate every last one we could be in trouble for the future." McKenzie said while a virus targeting wallabies is likely to be in development, that would not be "the be-all and end-all". "We've seen how good it is as a management tool for rabbit populations, but it also doesn't totally solve the problem. It's difficult to predict its effectiveness. "Until then, we have to rely on the tools we have. But something needs to be done to address the wallaby problem, as its effects on land productivity are likely to be major." McKenzie said native planting could also be protected by special wallaby-proof fences. "It doesn't look particularly beautiful, but is another effective tool, and one that should be explored."