75 EMROP: Waihi North Project WAI-985-000-PLN-LC-0001_Rev0 clean 8 PEST ANIMAL MANAGEMENT Mammalian pests such as rats, hedgehogs, mustelids, cats and possums are a significant threat to species habitats and native ecosystems. Rodents, mustelids (stoats, ferrets, and weasels), cats and possums prey upon eggs and young fledglings of native birds and will prey upon native lizards of any life stage. Rodents increase browsing impact by eating seeds on the forest floor, inhibiting the next generation of plants from replacing those lost. Possums are prolific browsers and will selectively browse young saplings or new shoots, preventing the restoration of forests and ultimately threatening the ecosystem integrity. 8.1 METHODS Pest animal control methods will follow current industry best practice. Pest management will be implemented throughout all mitigation areas until mine closure. Pest control will be implemented by a suitably qualified pest control contractor or suitably qualified OGNZL staff member. The pest management programme will need to be reviewed annually by the Project ecologist and other interested parties such as Waikato Regional Council, to ensure pest management is achieving suitable control. Pest management recommendations are provided in Table 24. Figure 14 and Figure 15 provide indicative locations of pest mammal control devices on-site. 8.2 RECORD KEEPING Accurate recording of results from the pest control programmes is important for providing information on the status of predator populations on the properties over time. Annual reports, summarising the results of the pest control, should be prepared and made available to the Project ecologist for review. The pest control operator will be responsible for collecting data on trap catches / kill counters, the location of trapping/ bait devices, and preparation of summary reports. Appendix I provides a standard template for bait take and trap catch records. At a minimum, the following set of information should be collected: • Location of the traps • Number of kills • Number of traps nights • Lure/bait (e.g. apple) used
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