Page 8 - 2008 NZ SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS - SMARTPHONE

even backpacks. We were even instructed to check our clothing before returning to the ship to
insure that we did not bring any “hangers on” back with us—like seeds or leaves or insects. They
were very thorough indeed. Our DOC representative was a delightful lady but she never relaxed
the rules for us, nor did we ask her to make any concessions.

Before we ever left the ship the first time by zodiac, we were given an informational brochure
covering DOC’s “minimum impact code” for the Subantarctic Islands. There were general rules
covering such information as the fact that there are no toilet facilities on any of these islands, that
you cannot collect any specimens of any kind, and that you cannot leave anything behind when
you leave. Then there were the regulations covering animal viewing: all animals have the right
of way, no approaches to animals closer than 5 meters, no following a retreating animal, staying
quiet, and crouching when animals are near. We were then reminded that we had two really big
personal responsibilities as privileged visitors: following all DOC rules and obeying our DOC
representative.

Such precautions are logical and necessary given that the primary emphasis in DOC’s restoration
program lies in the program for eradicating all exotic (alien) species from reserve areas. Some
islands are so different from their neighbors that the same plants and animals may not have been
endemic to them. Therefore, since the major thrust of the program is restoration, the scientists do
not want species which were not originally on a particular island to get there again even if the
species is native to New Zealand itself and could thrive on that little piece of land. For instance,
one island we visited hosted no tree ferns despite the fact that tree ferns are native to New
Zealand in many other places. Care is taken that none take root there today.

Most of the preserves we visited were on islands, but some are being created on the main two
islands as well as Stewart Island. These are “islands” within islands in the present environment.
Hectares are purchased either privately or by DOC in order to create a city reserve in order to
bring native songbirds and kiwis back into the municipal areas. Usually these reserves are also
cleared of non-native plants as well so that the birds and insects can live in pristine conditions. It
can be easily imagined how expensive and difficult these efforts at restoring paradise can be.
With introduced species all around including mammalian predators, it is very hard to keep the
preserves rat and cat free; but it is even more tricky to keep the introduced Australian brushtail
possum from penetrating the boundaries of the reserves. Unlike our Virginia opossums that are
reputed to be pretty stupid, these Aussie emigres are the intellectual equal of dogs. Thus they are
the most difficult of the exotics to control and/or exterminate.

A little more information on the Aussie brushtails will make it clear why they are impossible to
eradicate completely. They are nocturnal and arboreal and therefore very difficult to find. They
sleep in tree cavities thus depriving native birds of their usual nesting places. Though they are
herbivores in Australia, they have developed a taste for meat in New Zealand so nest robbing for
eggs and chicks is now a normal behavior for them. But even if they were not predating birds,
they would still be quite destructive as herbivores because the native New Zealand plants did not
evolve strategies to avoid or survive mammalian “diners.” Birds, reptiles, and insects in New
Zealand often do feed on native plants, but these plants are adapted to the methods of
consumption practiced by native creatures. As if devastation of the natural environment were not
enough to indict these transplants, they are also vectors of bovine tuberculosis. So not only do
conservationists and ecologists rue the presence of these unwelcome immigrants, the dairy
farmers are also very sorry they were ever brought over to New Zealand from their own native
home.

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