The Council’s award-winning Self-Help Possum Control Programme is the largest programme of its type in the country, covering almost all private land on the ring plain, and significant parts of the coast and hillcountry.
Taranaki Taku Tūranga - Towards Predator-Free Taranaki
This new initiative aims to build on current pest-control and biodiversity programmes with the aim of making Taranaki the first predator-free region in New Zealand.
Read more about Towards Predator-Free Taranaki
How the Self-Help programme works
It's a joint programme between the Council and landowners to maintain possums at low levels. The Council undertakes initial control operations to reduce possum numbers to at least a 5% residual catch rate. Farmers are then required to keep possum numbers below a 10% catch rate. Our staff continue to monitor maintenance work and if necessary the Council will enforce the requirement.
Achievements so far
This dual approach programme has been very successful in maintaining possum numbers at low levels on privately owned land in the region.
Since its introduction in 1992, a total of 4,086 properties have become part of the self-help programme.
The total land area covered by the programme is 240,200 hectares (June 2018), including 9,278 hectares of largely acutely threatened indigenous vegetation.
The residual catch rate has steadily decreased and is generally below 5%.
Want to get involved in the programme? Contact our Environment Services team