Additional information

Secretary Island is 8140ha and has never had established rodent or possum populations making it ideal to target for conservation restoration.

In 2004 a network of over 120km of tracks were cut on Secretary Island in preparation for the stoat and deer control programmes.

940 wooden and wire mesh trapping tunnels were established across the whole island and stoat trapping began in 2005.

168 stoats have been caught on Secretary since trapping began and this summer there was evidence of only one stoat on the island. The Department is confident that this poses no threat to the introduction of robins and that stoats can be prevented from re-establishing on the island.

Intensive deer control is also underway and 496 deer have been removed from Secretary Island since October 2006

Breaksea Island was cleared of rats in 1986 and was the forerunner of many island pest eradication programmes that have followed.

250km of tracks on Resolution Island have just been completed in preparation for the placement of 2500 stoat traps in May this year. Resolution Island at 20,000ha is the fifth largest island in New Zealand. The largest island pest eradication project in New Zealand.

Exciting Step forward for Wildlife Sanctuary

Thursday 13 March 2008

A short helicopter flight for thirty Kakaruai/South Island robin marks the beginning of an exciting new phase in the restoration of New Zealand’s largest inshore islands. It is also the first conservation project funded by the newly formed Fiordland Conservation Trust.

Department of Conservation Area Manager, Reg Kemper of Te Anau said up until now restoration work has focused on removing stoats and deer from Secretary Island in order to provide a safe haven for bird species that are no longer present or are seriously threatened on the mainland.   

“It’s a significant milestone in the restoration programme to be able to begin reintroducing species to the island,” said Mr Kemper.  “It’s extremely satisfying to see the project reach this stage so quickly and to have the community support represented by the Fiordland Conservation Trust and the number of volunteers who have worked on this project.”

Fiordland Conservation Trust trustee Dr Vivienne Shaw said the Trust was delighted to be involved with the project. “It’s exciting that our first project involves the first transfer of birds to an island that will become an important sanctuary for endangered wildlife.” 

In 2004, the government announced $7 million funding over a 10 year period for the removal of stoats and deer from Secretary and Resolution Islands in Fiordland National Park.

The eradication of stoats and deer began on Secretary Island as it is the smaller of the two islands and lessons learned are now being used on Resolution Island.

“Robins have proven very vulnerable to rat plague events and have already disappeared from many areas on the mainland” said Mr Kemper. “It is important that we establish populations of these vulnerable species in predator free areas. We are confident that they will do well on Secretary Island.”

The introduction of the robins to Secretary Island is the first in a number of planned transfers of species that are most vulnerable to predators on the mainland.

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Photography © : PhotoArt Fiordland    Rod Morris    Department of Conservation