Science-based game animal removal targets are a solution for conservation in Aotearoa

Context

Game animal management at present is a lose, lose situation for climate change action, biodiversity, and game animal quality. This has been highlighted over the last two years as tourism fell away for the South Island helicopter operators. To keep their machines running they have turned to WARO despite low venison prices, even though it is loss-making for them they must keep flying. WARO targets stags from hunting areas close to roads, the same animals that are valued by recreational hunters as they are easily accessed trophy animals. This results in females building up in more remote areas with the herd ratio of most public land deer populations being massively skewed to females and young stags in areas with WARO, which is the opposite of what hunters and conservationists want, which is a low-density high-quality trophy herd. Deer numbers are building up which is bad for our biodiversity and climate change targets, however, it is also bad for hunters as the deer that are there are not trophy class because there is low food availability.

The solution in short

The solution is a guaranteed minimum price for WARO operators, funded by a big game hunting license and 2% sale fee from hunting gear going towards a game animal management fund (like in the US). This fund will be used for catchment level monitoring, subsidizing a guaranteed minimum price for WARO and research. The guaranteed minimum price can be moved based on the science-based game animal removal targets for each area to incentivize more or less WARO and achieve optimum population density.

How it works

For each catchment or area, e.g. Mt Aspiring National Park vs. Hawea Conservation park, DOC sets a guaranteed minimum price for WARO. The guaranteed minimum price is set based on monitoring and modelling in each catchment by DOC with consultation from forest ecologists and relevant stakeholders to determine optimum population levels for each catchment. In years where the WARO price is below this minimum, the fund would pay the remainder of this price. In years with a high WARO price, WARO activities may be limited in certain catchments if game animal removal targets are exceeded. This will occur in exchange for WARO leaving identifiable males accessible or defined hunting catchments. If DOC decides numbers are too high the price can be increased and vice versa to maintain appropriate population density. The price may be generally higher in areas of conservation significance like the national parks, and identifiable males may be taken from the more remote catchments but left in accessible hunting catchments. This could be funded by a combination of/ or (big game animal license, 2% fee on sale of hunting gear and DOC culling funds). Importantly all recreational hunters must report the catchment they take their animal from and gender so we have game animal removal data based on region. Importantly in areas of dense bush where helicopter WARO cannot operate, the subsidy will be raised to incentivise removals in a similar system to the forest service deer culling days. As is currently the case a WARO license is needed to access this subsidy as a commercial hunter and this will extend to professional ground hunters. Tags for some regions could also be introduced in the future to raise additional money for this fund, for example in highly sought-after trophy herds like the Rakaia and Dingle, hunters would need a tag to shoot a stag. This may be increasingly considered as the NZ population increases and more and more pressure is put on these trophy-herds.

Why it works

This guaranteed minimum price will ensure WARO operates profitably and consistently year on year taking the right animals. Instead of DOC funding culling on public land, that money should be used to subsidize WARO, this will ensure the meat is utilized and the economics may even stack up so Tahr meat is recovered in the future. There will be increased returns for helicopter operators and a general increase in economic efficiency with WARO and culling not being facilitated in silos. Game animal numbers have massively fluctuated in NZ since their arrival to the detriment of hunters and our ecology. This will stabilize numbers over a long period and with good WARO and recreational hunter reporting we can continue to refine the resolution of population estimates and optimum density rates. The total utility for New Zealand is significantly lower for a stag being shot by WARO vs. by a recreational hunter. While different interest groups may debate optimum game animal population, generally we all want profitable WARO, a healthy bush, and old stags, goals that can go together with catchment level science-based game animal removal targets.