Conservation Of Lizards In Canterbury Conservancy PDF Download

Habitat manipulation to favour prey species is a potential alternative management technique to conventional predator control methods. New Zealand lizards are suitable taxa for evaluating the effectiveness of habitat manipulation, but to do so we need good baseline information about the study population as well as reliable sampling techniques. To this end, the three main aims of this research were to conduct a baseline survey of lizard distribution and species composition along the entire length of Kaitorete Spit, Canterbury; to develop a new sampling method (artificial retreats) for Canterbury geckos (Hoplodactylus "Canterbury"); and to test the relative effects of habitat and predator manipulation on survival of McCann's skinks (Oligosoma maccanni). Pitfall trapping identified differences in species distribution across duneland, farmland and shrubland habitats, and a decline in capture rates of spotted skinks (O. lineoocellatum "Central Canterbury") over a 3-year period. Canterbury geckos preferred artificial retreats made from Onduline over those made from corrugated iron and concrete, whereas skinks showed no preferences. It was also found that Onduline retreats could be used to detect Canterbury geckos following translocation and to estimate population size. Annual survival probability of McCann's skinks increased at sites with predator exclosures, but stayed constant at control sites and sites with artificial retreats. Therefore, predator control, but not the addition of artificial retreats, is predicted to benefit McCann's skinks. Our recommendations include predator control for spotted skinks near Birdlings Flat, Kaitorete Spit, and the development of standard guidelines for using artificial retreats.