Feral goat control in Egmont National Park, New Zealand, and the implications for eradication

Forsyth, David M.; Hone, Jim; Parkes, John; Reid, Gary H.; Stronge, Dean

doi:10.1071/wr02116

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In the Santiago highlands, ground hunters with dogs working in rastrillo killed the last 23 goats. In the dense vegetation of the Santiago highlands, remnant goats had small home ranges and JGs deployed in the area often stayed within 50 m of their deployment point (K. Campbell, unpublished data), which supports the claim that various terrain or vegetation types offer refuge for goats from one or more hunting methods (Forsyth et al 2003). A range of methods, used sequentially and simultaneously, was required to put all animals at risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Bio‐Economics of Large‐Scale Eradication of Feral Goats From Santiago Island, Galápagos

et al. 2009

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Invasive mammals are premier drivers of extinction and ecosystem change, particularly on islands. In the 1960s, conservation practitioners started developing techniques to eradicate invasive mammal populations from islands. Larger and more biologically complex islands are being targeted for restoration worldwide. We conducted a feral goat (Capra hircus) eradication campaign on Santiago Island in the Galápagos archipelago, which was an unprecedented advance in the ability to reverse biodiversity impacts by invasive species. We removed >79,000 goats from Santiago Island (58,465 ha) in <4.5 years, at an approximate cost of US$6.1 million. An eradication ethic combined with a suite of techniques and technologies made eradication possible. A field‐based Geographic Information System facilitated an adaptive management strategy, including adjustment and integration of hunting methods. Specialized ground hunting techniques with dogs removed most of the goat population. Aerial hunting by helicopter and Judas goat techniques were also critical. Mata Hari goats, sterilized female Judas goats induced into a long‐term estrus, removed males from the remnant feral population at an elevated rate, which likely decreased the length and cost of the eradication campaign. The last 1,000 goats cost US$2.0 million to remove; we spent an additional US$467,064 on monitoring to confirm eradication. Aerial hunting is cost‐effective even in countries where labor is inexpensive. Local sociopolitical environments and best practices emerging from large‐scale, fast‐paced eradications should drive future strategies. For nonnative ungulate eradications, island size is arguably no longer the limiting factor. Future challenges will involve removing invasive mammals from large inhabited islands while increasing cost‐effectiveness of removing low‐density populations and confirming eradication. Those challenges will require leveraging technology and applying theory from other disciplines, along with conservation practitioners working alongside sociologists and educators.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Bio‐Economics of Large‐Scale Eradication of Feral Goats From Santiago Island, Galápagos

et al. 2009

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“…deliberate extinction of the pest) (see Bomford and O'Brien 1995), 'sustained control' (control in perpetuity) (e.g. see Forsyth et al 2003) or 'other'. We defined the 'objective of control' as intending to protect 'threatened species' (e.g.…”

Section: Survey Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of pest mammals for biodiversity protection in Australia. I. Patterns of control and monitoring

et al. 2006

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Foxes, wild dogs, feral cats, rabbits, feral pigs and feral goats are believed to have deleterious impacts on native biodiversity in Australia. However, although considerable resources have been expended controlling these six species, little is known about national patterns and costs of control and monitoring. We therefore conducted a survey of pest-control operations undertaken by conservation-focused organisations in Australia. A total of 1306 control operations were reported, with most conducted during 1998–2003: there was little information prior to 1990. Foxes and rabbits were the most, and feral cats the least, frequently controlled pest species. The total area on which control was undertaken in 2003, the year for which most information was available, ranged from ~0.4 × 104 km2 for feral cats to ~10.7 × 104 km2 for foxes. A wide range of techniques and intensities were used to control each of the six species. The estimated cost of labour expended on control in 2003 ranged from $0.4 × 106 for feral cats to $5.3 × 106 for foxes. Monitoring of the pest or biodiversity occurred in 50–56% of control actions in which foxes, wild dogs and feral cats were targeted, but only 22–26% of control actions in which rabbits, feral pigs and feral goats were targeted. Our results are discussed in relation to previous studies of pest animal control and monitoring in Australia.

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“…number of individuals removed) and capture effort (Schuyler, Garcelon & Escover ; Forsyth et al . ; Abe et al . ; Pilotto et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When inferring the long-term dynamics of an invasive animal, a researcher might have to integrate multiple types of data, for example, history of introduction (Green 1997;Forsyth et al 2004;Marchetti, Moyle & Levine 2004;Cassey et al 2005), number of captures (i.e. number of individuals removed) and capture effort (Schuyler, Garcelon & Escover 2002;Forsyth et al 2003;Abe et al 2006;Pilotto et al 2008). Although these data reflect the underlying process of invasion and its management, there are few studies that have explicitly modelled this relationship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction and prediction of invasive mongoose population dynamics from history of introduction and management: aBayesian state‐space modelling approach

Fukasawa

Hashimoto

Tatara

et al. 2013

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. An understanding of the underlying processes and comprehensive history of invasive species is necessary to assess the long-term effectiveness of invasive species management. However, continuous, long-term labour-intensive population surveys on invasive species are often not feasible. Thus, it is important to learn about their dynamics through management action and its consequences. 2. Amami Island, Japan, has an ongoing large-scale and long-term eradication programme of invasive small Indian mongooses. To estimate the long-term pattern of population size and the parameters determining the dynamics, including anthropogenic removal, we applied a surplus-production model within a Bayesian state-space formulation incorporating the initial population size, number of captures and capture effort. Using the estimated process model directly, we conducted stochastic simulations to evaluate the feasibility of eradication. 3. Estimated 32-year annual capture probability of mongooses has increased since their introduction. The population size started to decline in 2001; mean population size in 2000 was 6141 (95% CI: 5415-6817), and declined to 169 (95% CI: 42-408) by 2011. Parameter estimates of a Weibull catchability model indicated that there was large individual heterogeneity in the probability of being captured, and per-effort capture probability declined with an increase in annual capture effort. 4. The simulation study indicated that the eradication feasibility in 2023 would be over 90% if the same annual capture effort is upheld as in 2010 (2 075 760 corrected trap-days). However, increasing annual capture effort would have little effect on shortening the time to eradication. 5. Synthesis and applications. A hierarchical model that incorporates multiple types of data to reveal long-term population dynamics has the potential to be updated with the outcomes of control efforts, and will enhance adaptive management of invasive species. This approach will offer valuable information about trade-offs between time to eradication success and effort per unit time in a long-term eradication project, and the length of time needed to continue management actions to achieve eradication success.

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Feral goat control in Egmont National Park, New Zealand, and the implications for eradication

Cited by 16 publications

References 32 publications

Bio‐Economics of Large‐Scale Eradication of Feral Goats From Santiago Island, Galápagos

Bio‐Economics of Large‐Scale Eradication of Feral Goats From Santiago Island, Galápagos

Control of pest mammals for biodiversity protection in Australia. I. Patterns of control and monitoring

Reconstruction and prediction of invasive mongoose population dynamics from history of introduction and management: aBayesian state‐space modelling approach

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