Predators in urban · o Possums, rats (ship and Norway), cats, hedgehogs, mustelids •In three...
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Predators in urban restoration October 18 MANAAKI WHENUA – LANDCARE RESEARCH PAGE 1 Neil Fitzgerald, John Innes
Transcript of Predators in urban · o Possums, rats (ship and Norway), cats, hedgehogs, mustelids •In three...
Predators in urban restoration
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Neil Fitzgerald, John Innes
Understanding urban predators
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1. Which ‘predators’, and why do we care?
2. Predator profiles and biodiversity outcomes in NZ cities
3. Control and monitoring in urban environments
1. Who are these ‘predators’, why do we care?
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1. Who are these ‘predators’, why do we care?
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JJ Harriso
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Martin Lee-May
1. Who are these ‘predators’, why do we care?
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JJ Harriso
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Martin Lee-May
1. Who are these ‘predators’, why do we care?
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• We know a lot about introduced mammalian predators and their impacts… in native
forest and other natural areas.
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1. Who are these ‘predators’, why do we care?
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• We know a lot about introduced mammalian predators and their impacts… in native
forest and other natural areas.
• Introduced mammalian predators reduce indigenous dominance.
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1. Who are these ‘predators’, why do we care?
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• We know a lot about introduced mammalian predators and their impacts… in native
forest and other natural areas.
• Introduced mammalian predators reduce indigenous dominance.
• Urban predators not well known, but likely to differ from rural and wilderness
ecosystems
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Inn
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Ste
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Hart
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Measure residual abundance…
..not effort
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• Important to consider scale and connectivity
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Hamilton Tui movements
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Tui in Hamilton bird counts
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Inn
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2. Predator profiles and biodiversity outcomes
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• Research Aim 1.3: Understand and manage the unique predator profile of urban
habitats− Inadequate understanding limits effective management
• Working in five cities− Three throughout, in late autumn and early summer: Hamilton, Wellington, Dunedin
− Two once: Tauranga, New Plymouth
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• Measure (index) the abundance of key mammal pests
o Possums, rats (ship and Norway), cats, hedgehogs, mustelids
• In three habitat types
o Residential areas, amenity parks, and “natural” reserves
• Using safe tools (people and pets) and consistent methods
o Tracking tunnels
– Rodents: peanut butter, 1 night
– Mustelids: Erayz, 6 nights
o Chew cards
o Trail cameras
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• Measure (index) the abundance of key mammal pests
o Possums, rats (ship and Norway), cats, hedgehogs, mustelids
• In three habitat types
o Residential areas, amenity parks, and “natural” reserves
• Using safe tools (people and pets) and consistent methods
• Ideally with replicated treatment (pest control) and non-treatment (no pest control)
sites
• Measure biodiversity outcomes
o Bird nest success
o Weta motels
o Lizards
Tracking tunnelsO
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Chew cards
Trail cameras
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Results so far
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• Rats, mice and hedgehogs most abundant
• Highest rat densities in forest and amenity sites
• Highest mouse densities in amenity sites
• Possums are very scarce in Wellington
• Mustelids are very scarce across NZ cities
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Hamilton urban bird nest success (Ellen Webb and Natasha Stanton)
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Oct to Dec 2017
• Total of 27 nests
• Blackbird (13), Song thrush (8), Silvereye (5), Chaffinch (1)
• Nest fate: 63% Successful (17) (30% Failed 7% Unknown)
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• 48% successful – urban Hamilton, Morgan et al. 2011
• 60% successful – urban Dunedin, Van Heezik et al. 2008
• 27% successful – ‘Wild’ unmanaged, mainland sites, 13 species, 24 studies; Innes et al. 2010
Coming soon, more pest control
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• Intensification of predator-control at ~half our study sites− Hamilton, Dunedin, Wellington
• Compare biodiversity outcomes before/after
in treatment/non-treatment blocks
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3. Control and monitoring in urban environments
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• Complex – Health & safety (& legal?) considerations… and other people problems
• Identify the objectives
3. Control and monitoring in urban environments
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• Complex – Health & safety (& legal?) considerations… and other people problems
• Identify the objectives
• Timing matters, and this depends on the objective− Spring-nesting birds?
− Autumn-, winter-nesting?
− Ground-nesting?
− Lizards?
− Food supply?
− Roses?
• Monitor outcomes, not work
• Use standard — or at least consistent — monitoring methods (watch this space)
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• Tracking tunnels,1 night with peanut butter, if you want to compare rodent numbers
directly to forest monitoring
• Tunnels for 6 or 7 nights for increased sensitivity (Erayze attracts rats and hedgehogs
as well as the occasional mustelid)
• Use chewcards for 7 nights for possums
• Don't get too hung-up about precise 50m spacing and a dead-straight transect
• A good starting point would be for 4 transects (of 10) in forest habitat and 4 transects
or clusters in more open habitats such as roadsides/gardens etc. (If this is too many
then reduce to 2 or 3 in each habitat type)
• Cameras are good for detecting cats (as well as the other mammals) but there are no
standard set-ups or indices so most comparisons are currently best done internally
within a project.
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