Public to play part in predator project

Dunedin communities will take charge of their own pest trapping as extensive predator-free works move into the suburbs and city.

On Wednesday, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced a $4.33million Government grant to start the five-year $15million Predator Free Dunedin project.

It will build on work of the Halo Project around Orokonui and efforts to rid possums from the peninsula.

It will also involve efforts being targeted more at the central city and surrounding suburbs with the new Urban Linkage project.

Residents can answer a survey on Predator Free Dunedin's website, which will gauge their interest in the project and gather their opinions on its tactics.

Once the community response is gathered, the group will use the information to determine the next step.

Predator Free Dunedin project manager Rhys Millar said this would involve education workshops and, eventually, the supplying of traps to the city's residents.

"We'll go out to the community and look for leaders who might wish to be local champions in their patch."

Neighbourhoods could then develop their own trapping regimes.

"Some will get stuck in and just want to lead the charge, we'll just do a bit of help. There will be others that need a bit more guidance."

In the central city the main pest problem was rats, he said.

The group would also look for volunteers to trap in council reserves.

Alongside this, the group would monitor catch and biodiversity data city-wide to see how successful the project was.

Predator Free Dunedin will not target cats and uses trapping methods which are low risk for the animals.

"Instead we'll focus on encouraging responsible cat ownership."

This included keeping them well fed and inside or within property boundaries as much as possible.

The project would also not involve controversial poison 1080.