Conservationists deplore snail move

Conservationists deplore snail move

12 April 2006

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3636009a7693,00.html

Forest and Bird says the conservation minister has approved the first State-sponsored species extinction in New Zealand.

West Coast Forest and Bird spokesman Dr Brian Anderson was responding to today's announcement that Solid Energy could move rare native snails at its Stockton opencast mine.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter and Associate Energy Minister Harry Duynhoven have granted a wildlife permit for Solid Energy to move a population of Powelliphanta Augustus snails from the Mt Augustus ridgeline on the West Coast.

Solid Energy must implement an intensive mitigation package to preserve the snails before it can start mining the area.

Dr Anderson said the mitigation could have worked only if the snails had been moved over a period of years, so their survival could have been tested in the new habitat.

"Chris Carter has decided not to require that. He's allowed for the relocation of up to 250 snails, but the information we have is that the new habitat can only hold 85."

The remaining snails would be below the Mt Augustus ridgeline, where Solid Energy had a concession from the Department of Conservation for rockfall.

"We're not talking about a few pebbles. Solid Energy is allowed to drop up to 270 tonnes of rock at a time on to the snail habitat."

Dr Anderson also said the minister had required predator control, but there were few predators at the site and little evidence controlling them would increase the carrying capacity of the new habitat.

"There's no guarantee the snails will survive in the new habitat at all. It's quite different from the existing habitat, even though it's quite close."

He was unsure whether Forest and Bird would seek a judicial review of the ministers' decision.

Solid Energy chief executive Don Elder said the decision was excellent news and allowed the company to meet customer orders for high quality coking coal and secure the "best possible outcome" for the threatened snails.

He said the conditions imposed by ministers were strict.

Solid Energy had engaged a number of scientific experts to support its application to move the snails.

There was strong evidence that Powelliphanta land snails had previously been moved away from their original populations, sometimes over large distances (more than 200km), wide altitudinal ranges (high to low) and into signficantly different habitats.

Most of these moves had been unauthorised but there had been at least seven known translocations of the snails within New Zealand over some years.

"Our experts have concluded that moving the snails in the Mt Augustus area by hand is both feasible and desirable for the conservation of the species," Dr Elder said.

He also said the snails had been under threat even if the mining had not gone ahead. The small population was already vulnerable because of its size, the small area of optimal habitat, other effects from development in the area and the ongoing threat of predators.