In what MPI described as ‘New Zealand’s largest feral goat eradication programme’, PFBP has achieved total eradication of feral goats on the true Peninsula (from Gebbies Pass) removing 4,246 goats from a 45,000-hectare area of Banks Peninsula.
But we can’t rest on our laurels just yet.
“Total eradication is a big call to make,” says PFBP project lead, Sarah Wilson. “The ongoing success of the programme now relies on community support. We’re asking anyone who spots a feral goal anywhere on the Peninsula to please let us know.”
All eradication programmes require ongoing monitoring. As well as relying on the community to alert them to possible sightings, PFBP has also engaged the regional council’s might. Feral goats are now deemed a ‘site-specific pest’ in their Regional Pest Management Plan. This recognises how important it is for landowners to manage domestic goat populations well, so they cannot escape and re-establish feral populations.
Eradicating feral goats from such a diverse and vast landscape was enabled by more than 300 private landowners. All-important funding and significant operational support was received from the Department of Conservation, Christchurch City Council and Environment Canterbury; proving the power of community-led and agency supported conservation programmes.
“Our elimination programmes are all about empowering communities to take control of their ‘backyard biodiversity’”, says Wilson.
If you spot a goat in a place you don’t think it should be, let us know and we’ll do something about it: info@pestfreebp.org.nz