Changing Attitudes Towards Kea - Conflict to Co-existence

Abstract

Condemned as a sheep killer from the mid 1800’s, the kea population was reduced by an estimated 150,000 during a legal government bounty until partial protection in the early 1970’s. Now numbering fewer than 5,000 they are listed as Nationally Endangered but kea deaths attributed to conflict situations still occur today.

The reasons for conflict, sheep strike and property damage, remain relatively unchanged from the early 1900’s and unfortunately the attitudes of some people living within the species range remain similarly unchanged.

New Zealand is hailed for its conservation philosophy and successes and this continued negative relationship with kea should concern all New Zealanders. Resolving conflict through changing people’s perceptions and finding methods of reducing the impact of kea on human property is therefore a priority for us all.

The Kea Conservation Trust (2006) partnered and supported by Department of Conservation (DOC) has recently formalised a new Strategic Plan for Kea Conservation. Two of the three aims include threat mitigation and community engagement, and as such it is hoped that the issue of human-kea conflict and the resulting 150 year struggle with kea will finally be laid to rest.