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Picture this – you are sitting in an area of bush you used to come to when you were young. You remember how beautiful it used to be, with the chorus of birds singing and the beautiful trees and plants all around you. But now there is silence (pause), you begin to wonder what could have been done to prevent this destruction.

Every year, New Zealand uses up to four tones of 1080 concentrate powder, or sodium monofluroacetate, whereas Australia only uses 200 kilograms of powder a year. Some issues that arise about 1080’s uses are;
 Is the Department of Conservation, or DOC’s attempts to eradicate New Zealand’s pests futile?
 Are there any alternatives?
 How much 1080 is poisonous to humans?
 And finally, what might happen if DOC stopped poisoning altogether?

Although 1080 is bad for the environment, I think that it is working effectively.

Now, about those issues…
Firstly; are DOC’s attempts to eradicate New Zealand’s pests futile?
Well, I think that DOC is doing a good job at protecting our wildlife and our environment by killing New Zealand’s pests, for example, possums, rabbits, stoats, ferrets, and weasels. But I suppose, if they were not, they would have been replaced years ago!

Some good things DOC have done, are setting up various conservation areas and nature reserves, and lots of breeding and protection programs for native, endangered animals.

Secondly; are there any alternatives?
There are currently seven poisons including 1080 registered for possum control, but 1080 is the best because it is the least expensive, its not too fast at killing or breaking down, it kills a wide range of pests and it is the only poison approved to be spread by air. The other poisons are phosphorus, cyanide, cholecalciferol, brodifacoum, strychnine and pindome, which are all ground baits. There are other methods of control,...