CASE STUDY
The Halo Project, run by the Landscape Connections Trust since 2009, aims to create healthy landscapes that support resilient communities. Their mission is to inspire and collaborate with the Ōtepoti/Dunedin community to enhance, protect, and connect with the local landscape.
The Halo Project comprises two primary initiatives: Predator Free and Source to Sea. Since 2021, the Source to Sea team, along with residents, landowners, and schools, has planted 230,000 native seedlings across 70 sites. Meanwhile, as a delivery partner of Predator Free Dunedin, the Halo Project team work alongside City Sanctuary and Predator Free Peninsula, working towards the ambitious goal of making Dunedin predator-free by 2050.
A key focus of the Halo Project is to reduce possum numbers to zero-density in the 10,000 hectares surrounding Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Additionally, they aim to establish a buffer zone equipped with automatic self-resetting traps in the 33,000 hectares to the north and west of the sanctuary.
We reached out to the Halo Project team to discover how UBCO bikes play a role in their conservation initiatives and the unique benefits they provide.
What do you use your UBCO bikes for?
Our Predator Free team uses an UBCO bike to transport our automatic self-resetting AT220 devices through farmland and forestry areas. These devices target possums and rodents. They can be installed and then checked once every 3-6 months, which significantly reduces the labour requirements compared to typical traps that require manual resetting each time they are triggered.
These devices trap a predator, release it, and are ready to remove another immediately. During one of our recent AT220 services, we noted a single trap that had removed more than 50 predators in three months. The team removed 300 possums over 21 days in the Karitāne Coast area - an area which has not had previous possum control - using AT220 devices alongside night shooting.
What initially led you to consider UBCO?
Sustainability and supporting innovative products coming out of Aotearoa were key factors in our decision to get an UBCO. The zero emissions, cost of the bikes, license requirements, ongoing cost vs. fuel, and the ease of transport from a tow-ball mounted rack were all positive factors considered.
What challenges or pain points did UBCO bikes help address?
Our project area covers 45,000 hectares, and with a planned trap density of at least one self-resetting trap every 15-25 hectares, this involves a lot of distance to travel. Each AT220 device weighs at least 4.7kg, and the double set DOC200 stoat trap weighs approximately 10kg (feels more like 15kg if rain-wet!).
Prior to purchasing the UBCO, our team would attach one or two AT220 or DOC200 stoat traps to their backs and walk them into place. Our team has installed thousands of devices throughout our project area in this way, which is a huge feat. But the UBCO is revolutionising our ability to install devices more quickly and with less blood, sweat, and tears!
Image shows ten possums removed by one AT220. Possums are attracted to their dead colleagues. These possums hence serve as an additional lure to the mayonnaise that is dispensed from the device.
What feedback have you had from the team?
The team thoroughly enjoys the ease of access that the UBCO allows. Many of the wider Halo Project team, including the Project Director and the Source to Sea team, have taken turns on the UBCO. The UBCO is an asset to our project!
The bikes really speed up the deployment of our trap networks, meaning more time for other tasks and a greater impact overall.
Learn more about the The Halo Project and the great work there do here: www.haloproject.org.nz.