by frog
Well after I mocked him it seems Gordon Copeland has come up with an interesting issue for parliamentary debate today. It’s possibly not the biggest issue for our time, but worthy of discussion none the less.
Question 4 – Gordon Copeland to the Minister of Conservation: Is the Department of Conservation still proposing to proceed with a cull to control the goats on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds; if so, when and how?
It seems DOC wants to cull the goats on Arapawa Island, in the Marlborough Sounds because they are destroying the unique native plant species on the island. But several breeders groups are opposed to the cull because the Arapawa Island Goats are a recognised unique breed, probably brought here by very early European settlers. So we have an interesting microcosm of pakeha heritage and native conservation issues. It will be interesting to see where the debate goes.
Published in Environment & Resource Management | Parliament by frog on Wed, March 5th, 2008
Tags: Arapawa Island, conservation, Department of Conservation, DOC, goats, Gordon Copeland, Marlborough Sounds, native plant species
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
It’s a no brainer, animals over plants any day of the week.
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Wouldn’t the sensible answer be to capture, rather than cull, the goats and move them to somewhere there is vegetation for them to eat that is of no particular significance? After all, goats can thrive eating almost anything.
As for Gordon Copeland, frog, are you sure that someone on the Green staff didn’t feel sorry for him and quietly slip him a Green reject question to ask?
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These goats are far too important to be slaughtered out of political correctness.
They have unique genetics which have been lost from other populations.They should be recovered and re homed or left alone.
An alternative would be for DOC to employ a goatherd to look after them so the damage they do can be controlled.
It would make a change for a DOC employee to be doing something useful rather than paperwork.
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I note poor old Gordo got a bit gruff about some of the smirking and bleating his question raised.
Got on his goat as it were
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You’ve never heard of ‘possum control’ then Emerald? Why are the goats far more important than the plants?
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?Possums, not sure of the relevance. Goats compete with possums for grazing but don’t have that much effect on numbers. Pigs are the thing to hammer Possum numbers.
Clue as to goats importance here:
http://www.rarebreeds.co.nz/arapawagoat.html
This is not an either -or situation this is a both-are-important situation.
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A DOC employee cannot engage in possum control through paperwork, was the point. I imagine they do a bit of other stuff too.
Why isn’t this on the blog??
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0803/S00069.htm
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DOC contract out Possum control in my area. They wouldn’t want to get muddy.
I see the Green Party spokesman thinks it is a good idea to give the department responsible for NZ’s miserable showing on endangered species more money.
A better idea would be to disband them and try something else.
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