Managing for cultural harvest of a valued introduced species, the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans) in Aotearoa New Zealand
Priscilla M. Wehi
A E , Deborah J. Wilson A , Clive Stone B , Hayley Ricardo A , Chris Jones C , Richard Jakob-Hoff D and Phil O’B. Lyver C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
B Ngātiwai Trust Board, 129 Port Road, Whangārei 0140, New Zealand.
C Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln 7608, New Zealand.
D New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, Auckland Zoo, Private Bag 78700, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245, New Zealand.
E Corresponding author. Email: priscilla.wehi@otago.ac.nz
Pacific Conservation Biology 27(4) 432-441 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC20094
Submitted: 30 November 2020 Accepted: 1 July 2021 Published: 3 August 2021
Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2021 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Indigenous peoples’ relationships with biodiversity are often poorly recognised in conservation decision-making, but are critical to Indigenous identity and lifeways. These relationships extend to introduced species that are rarely protected under legislation. Kiore (Rattus exulans, Pacific rat) is a species introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter Aotearoa) by Māori (the Indigenous people of Aotearoa) as a food source and bio-indicator of ecosystem state. Once common, kiore are now restricted in numbers and range, and widely considered an unwanted organism by conservation managers and some Māori. However, tribal group Ngātiwai wish to safeguard cultural access to remaining kiore on Mauitaha Island. Therefore, the goals of our study were to assess body condition and the reproductive and disease status of kiore on Mauitaha. Of 16 kiore caught, body condition based on body length to mass ratio was similar to that recorded on other islands in Aotearoa. Subcutaneous fat levels were moderate, but lower in individuals with disease inflammation. The results suggest satisfactory population health, but regular monitoring to identify temporal trends in kiore abundance and condition is important for cultural harvesting and long-term population survival. Planning for harvesting by future generations requires transforming conservation biology through Indigenous perspectives, through further assessment of methods, management and agency, examining how Indigenous knowledge and conventional science can be used to balance ecological and cultural trade-offs. Further consideration of ecological habitat and risk is also required for kiore, because the reserve is a single small island, and national conservation priorities focus on native species protection in ecosystems that exclude humans.
Keywords: biocultural diversity, biodiversity indicator, cultural harvesting, Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous people, kiore, Mauitaha Island, national park management, socioecological systems, traditional ecological knowledge.
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