A 10-Year Study Has Found No Significant Negative Impact Of 1080 Poison On Bird And Insect Populations In The Wairarapa

A 10-year study has found no significant negative impact of 1080 poison on bird and insect populations in the Wairarapa. The study conducted by Victoria University of Wellington tracked the populations of 12 bird species in Remutaka and Aorangi before, during, and after three aerial 1080 predator control operations over a 10-year period. It found an overall resurgence in native bird species’ populations when pests were controlled by aerial 1080. Native beetles and wētā also found no negative effects of aerial 1080, and in fact when rodent populations were reduced the numbers of beetles and wētā increased. Victoria University’s associate professor Stephen Hartley says the aim of the study was to see what causes changes in bird populations – in the context of rats, stoats and possum predators, mast years and aerial operations. He says the survey proved 1080 was an effective tool for pest control and had a positive impact on native bird populations and insects.