Threat abatement plan for competition and land degradation by rabbits Review 2008-2012 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This review assesses the progress and effectiveness of the 2008 Threat abatement plan for competition and land degradation by rabbits (TAP) in reducing the impacts of rabbits on biodiversity by protecting nationally listed threatened species and communities, or preventing further species and communities from becoming threatened, through research, management and other actions. The review provides a snap shot of current efforts in rabbit management across Australia in comparison to five years ago and highlights successes and failures of the plan in guiding and facilitating action on the control of rabbits and reducing their impact.
Introduced European rabbits, Oryctolagus ciniculus, are Australia’s most costly vertebrate pest. Rabbits have severe environmental impacts; through direct browsing of native flora and competition with native animals for resources and indirectly by supporting populations of other pest species such as cats and foxes, as well as causing widespread losses to pastoral and agricultural production. The environmental cost of rabbits would be far more severe if not for the successful release of two biological control agents over the last 60 years: myxoma virus, released in 1950 and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, released in 1995.
There is evidence to suggest that wild rabbit populations are again increasing in Australia due to a combination of favourable environmental conditions and the decreasing effectiveness of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD). This means that the benefits gained from releasing the disease in Australia are slowly being eroded and land managers must increase resources put into manual rabbit control methods such as poisoning, warren ripping and fumigation.
The first objective of the TAP focuses on preventing rabbits from spreading, prioritising high conservation areas and eradicating rabbits from these areas. The review found that there is some difficulty in prioritising areas for rabbit control on a national level as their impacts are so widespread. Rabbits have largely reached their ecological limits in Australia and the only rabbit-free areas within this zone are some offshore islands and fenced mainland exclosures. The objective to “prevent rabbits occupying new areas” is less relevant than for other pest species that may still be expanding their range. A more important objective for rabbits is to minimise their impact by reducing their abundance and maintaining low numbers rather than achieving total eradication. Nevertheless, there are several examples of successful rabbit eradication on offshore islands in the last five years, most notably the probable eradication from Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.
The second objective of the TAP is to promote the maintenance and recovery of native species and ecological communities affected by rabbit competition and land degradation. Recovery plans for a number of threatened species, and more recently regional multi-species plans, identify rabbits as a key threat. This has, in some cases, prompted rabbit action plans to be developed and implemented. While the review found numerous rabbit control programs occurring throughout Australia, rabbit control was rarely initiated due to threatened species or ecological community recovery and was usually undertaken as part of a larger management plan for numerous reasons, including agricultural and social. These programs were often ad hoc and lacked strategic prioritisation due to inefficient funding and other competing local priorities. The recent development of economic decision models may help to maximise the
2 cost–benefit return on management and provide a framework for rabbit control programs on a regional scale. Objective three of the TAP aims to improve knowledge of rabbit impacts and interactions with other species and ecological processes. Ongoing studies are revealing the exact impact rabbits are having on native species. There is now quantifiable evidence that increased rabbit density across both arid and temperate regions results in decreased native species cover and diversity, and increased weed cover and diversity. Exclosures, in particular, have been useful in quantifying the impacts rabbits are having on the environment. We now know that even low densities of rabbits (0.5 rabbits per ha) can inhibit the regeneration of seedlings of many palatable native plants. While there is a general consensus that rabbits support populations of pest predators (dingo/dog, fox, cat), there is still limited information on the effects that fluctuations in rabbit numbers might have on the populations of predators. Further information is needed on the potential impacts of the predators switching prey to native species when rabbit abundances are low.
Objective four of the TAP focuses on improving the effectiveness, target specificity, integration and humaneness of rabbit control options. The main focus of rabbit control research over the past five years has been increasing the effectiveness of RHD through the RHD Boost project. This is in response to the apparent rising genetic resistance of rabbits to the current strain of the RHD virus and its limited effectiveness in temperate regions due to an already present endemic virus, which was recently identified and confirmed to offer some immunity. The project has identified several new strains of RHD virus that have the potential to work on rabbits that have developed resistance to the current strain. While biocontrol agents have produced large benefits, the importance of integrating biocontrol with manual control methods must not be overlooked. The development of a carbon-monoxide fumigator is an important advancement in the humane control of rabbits. In addition, coordinated warren ripping programs have been shown to provide an effective method for long-term rabbit control in rangelands.
Finally, objective five aims to increase awareness of all stakeholders of the need to control and manage rabbits. New approaches are needed to educate stakeholders about effective control of rabbits. Educational tools to help assess rabbit damage and implement control programs have been produced, including manuals, guidelines and factsheets that are easily accessible online. This will help land managers develop a properly integrated landscape approach to rabbit control. Tools such as economic decision models are proving useful for land managers in establishing a framework for implementing rabbit control programs and assessing progress.
It is concluded that the issues raised in the 2008 TAP and the objectives are still valid in 2013 and likely to remain so into the future. However, the TAP could be revised to reflect the present priorities and include the amendments suggested by the review. The recommended revisions include amending the first objective to focusing on reducing and maintaining low rabbit numbers in regional priority areas. New actions include the incorporation of economic models into plans; attempting to put the environmental benefits of rabbit control into monetary terms; including adaptive management; further input into the impact of rabbit control; researching the
3 barriers to adoption of best practice control methods for rabbits; and a stronger focus on cross- tenure control programs.
Table of Contents
4 1. PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW
Section 279 (2) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) requires a threat abatement plan to be reviewed by the Minister at intervals of not longer than five years. The Threat Abatement Plan for the competition and land degradation by rabbits was first made in 1999, and reviewed in 2004-05 by the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) (Hart 2005). A revised threat abatement plan (hereafter the rabbit threat abatement plan) was made in 2008 and is now due for review.
The purpose of this review is to assess the progress and effectiveness of the rabbit threat abatement plan in reducing the impacts of rabbits on biodiversity, specifically nationally listed threatened species and ecological communities, or preventing further species and communities from becoming threatened, through research, management and other actions. The review provides a snap shot of current efforts in rabbit management across Australia in comparison to five years ago and highlights successes and failures of the plan in guiding and facilitating action on the control of rabbits and reducing their impact. It takes into account threat abatement actions funded by the Australian Government as well as work by the state and territory governments, natural resource management groups and other local organisations.
2.
3. BACKGROUND
Introduced European rabbits, Oryctolagus ciniculus, are Australia’s most costly vertebrate pest. The rate of spread of the rabbit in Australia is believed to be the fastest of any colonising mammal in the world (Williams et al. 1995). Their colonisation was aided by existing native animal burrows and habitat modification for farming, and by further deliberate human introductions for meat and hunting. The construction of a 1700 km rabbit-proof fence in Western Australia failed to stop the spread of rabbits and they are now found across the continent, and on several offshore islands (Williams et al. 1995).
Rabbits not only cause widespread losses to pastoral and agricultural production but also have severe environmental impacts (Mutze et al. 2008, Cooke 2012a). Rabbits directly compete with many animals for food and shelter and have extensive effects on native flora though ringbarking, grazing and browsing (Williams et al. 1995). The environmental cost of rabbits would be far more severe if not for the successful release of two biological control agents over the last 60 years: myxoma virus and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (Fenner and Fantini 1999).
Myxomatosis initially caused heavy mortality of rabbits after its release in the 1950s, but gradual resistance enabled the partial recovery of rabbit numbers. Myxomatosis is now only 50 per cent effective, however it is still an important biological control agent, keeping rabbit populations to an average of 5 per cent of former numbers in wetter areas, and 25 per cent in arid areas. RHD virus was released in 1995 and further reduced rabbit numbers, especially in arid areas, however the effectiveness of RHD is now also decreasing. This means that the benefits gained from releasing the disease in Australia are slowly being eroded and land
5 managers must once again increase reliance on labour intensive rabbit control methods such as poisoning, warren ripping and fumigation not only for crop and pasture protection but also for conservation purposes (Williams et al. 1995).
The review provides context on what is currently known about rabbit impacts and control methods around Australia and considers advances made in relation to the objectives of the 2008 threat abatement plan. Finally, the review will consider how threat abatement for competition and land degradation by rabbits could be undertaken in the next five years.
6 4. REVIEW OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THE THREAT ABATEMENT PLAN
The rabbit threat abatement plan provides a coordinated national approach to management, research, and education to increase awareness and provide strategic options for rabbit control. The goal of the plan is to minimise the impact of rabbit competition and land degradation on biodiversity in Australia and its territories. The review considers each of the objectives of the threat abatement plan and what work or management has occurred in each of the areas since 2008. The actions under these objectives are either reviewed individually or as part of the broader response.
Objective 1 - Prevent rabbits occupying new areas and eradicate from high priority islands
The goal of this objective is to prevent rabbits from extending their range in Australia and to remove them from high-conservation-value ‘islands’. With the exception of some offshore islands and fenced mainland exclosures, rabbits have largely reached their ecological limits in Australia regarding range and overall distribution (West 2008). The stated objective “prevent pests occupying new areas” is less relevant to rabbits than other pest species that may still be expanding their range. There are no natural isolated populations of rabbits on the mainland which could be controlled or eradicated in isolation. Nevertheless, islands and fenced mainland exclosures provide unique opportunities for eradication to protect affected native species, ecological communities and broad scale vegetation.
The following actions come under the first objective:
Actions
1.1 Collate data on all islands and on isolated mainland ‘islands’, assess their conservation value, the likelihood of significant biodiversity impacts from rabbits and, if there are no rabbits present, rank the level of risk of rabbits being introduced.
1.2 Develop management plans to prevent, monitor and, if incursions occur, contain and eradicate any rabbit incursion, for ‘islands’ with high conservation values and into potential new habitats with high conservation value.
1.3 Implement management plans for high conservation value islands, including prevention and monitoring actions, and containment or eradication actions if incursions occur.
1.4 Eradicate established population of rabbits from ‘islands’ with high conservation values where this is cost-effective, feasible and a high conservation priority.
The ability to identify priority areas for control, based on measures of conservation value and pest impacts is critical to effectively manage pests in Australia. Two studies looking into the prioritisation of high conservation islands were completed in 2009 in response to Action 1.1 in this plan and other threat abatement plans. A desktop study determined the conservation status of Australia’s offshore islands and summarised a priority list of the top 100 islands based on a number of factors, including island biodiversity, threatened species, seabird breeding, critical habitat, vegetation communities and an evaluation of the types and status of pest species 7 (Ecosure 2009). Of these top 100 priorities, ten islands were identified as requiring rabbit control (see Table 1), and a further two were identified as having potential biosecurity risks, which could lead to rabbit introductions. Of these ten offshore islands, only two (Macquarie and Phillip Islands) have management plans that have been implemented. Table 1 provides a summary of the management plans that have or have not been implemented to date. While these islands have been identified as a priority on a national level, different states may prioritise their islands separately, for example NSW has eradicated rabbits from all of its islands regardless of the national priority list, e.g. Broughton Island, Cabbage Tree Island, and Montague Island.
Identifying priority mainland ‘islands’ for rabbit control is more problematic due to the wide distribution of rabbits and high risk of reinvasion. A desktop study by Eco Logical (2009) identified the top 100 high conservation mainland ‘islands’ using a number of Australian Government databases. Rabbits occurred in each of the 100 top ranked mainland high conservation ‘islands’ (Eco Logical 2009), highlighting the extent of the rabbit problem. There are no ‘isolated’ mainland rabbit populations that can be targeted (except in the case of exclosures), therefore a more realistic objective for rabbits is to minimise their impact by reducing their abundance and maintaining low numbers, rather than limit their distribution or achieve total eradication in areas of the mainland.
Prioritisation of mainland islands for rabbit control needs to be identified specifically for rabbits at a regional scale. For example, the Sydney North Regional Rabbit Plan 2007-2012 (Parker 2007) outlines best practice methodologies and guidelines for 12 local councils and other agencies. Specific rabbit control strategies were then developed by each agency for key reserves in the form of an annual action plan. Similarly, the Port Phillip and Westernport Rabbit Action Plan (2003) (Victoria) identified zones prone to rabbit infestation. All of Nillumbik (Victoria), except the urban area, was identified as a high priority zone and this led to the development of the Nillumbik Rabbit Action Plan (Edwards 2009). The national mainland prioritisation study (Eco Logical 2009) provides a useful example of how to prioritise areas. However, widespread pests such as rabbits are more usefully prioritised for control at a more regional scale and this is most effectively done at state, catchment or NRM board level. It is important that areas outside the top 100 national list are also considered for funding, especially if identified by such regional plans.
Offshore islands
Worldwide, rabbits have been introduced to more than 800 islands with devastating impacts. There have been at least 48 attempts to eradicate rabbits from islands with about a 95% success rate, but even on small islands eradicating rabbits is very difficult and often requires a combination of techniques. The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Council (hereafter referred to as the Invasive Animals CRC) hosted an international workshop in February 2010 to share and progress knowledge and experience of rabbit eradications, particularly on islands (Murphy et al. 2010). The workshop brought together international experts to discuss ways to improve eradication on islands. The group suggested innovative methods that could be trialled in future, such as fibre optics and remote cameras, rabbit lures (e.g. pheromones), hair tubes, and Judas rabbits. Remote cameras, in particular, have become a useful tool for monitoring rabbit populations on islands e.g. Reef Island, Victoria and Macquarie Island. 8 In Australia, many commendable rabbit eradication plans have been implemented on islands. Rabbits have previously been eradicated from Cabbage Tree Island in NSW (Priddel et al. 2000), but more recently they have been eradicated from Montague Island and Broughton Island, NSW in 2007 and 2009 respectively (Priddel D. in Murphy et al. 2010), Reef Island in 2013 (Port Phillip and Western Port CMA 2013), and are almost eradicated from Macquarie Island (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 2013). Further information on these island eradications is provided below:
Case study 1.1
Montague Island, NSW (82 hectares) had two pest species, rabbits and mice. While there were only a few rabbits on the island, they were considered a major hurdle to the regeneration of trees and shrubs and were likely to be responsible for the spread of weeds such as kikuyu, which entangles burrow nesting seabirds. The knockdown method used on Montague Island involved a natural outbreak of RHD, followed by aerial baiting. Both rabbits and house mice were successfully eradicated by 2009. The island welcomed the first endangered Goulds petrel birth in recorded history on the island in 2013, a feat NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) puts down to successful weed and pest control programs (Priddel et al. 2011).
Broughton Island, NSW (144 hectares) was aerially baited for rats and rabbits in August 2009. Detector dogs were used to search for surviving rabbits on Broughton Island in November 2009, but failed to detect any sign of them. One month later Goulds petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera) was recorded breeding there for the first time. Monitoring for the presence of rats and rabbits is continuing (Priddel et al. 2011).
Case study 1.2
Reef Island, Victoria (a tidal island) is a small nature conservation reserve that is a significant roosting site for native shorebirds like red-capped plovers. Reef Island had a small, uncontrolled rabbit population that was allowed to increase over the years. While the rabbits themselves actually posed little direct threat to the shorebirds living out on the shoreline, the foxes they attracted on the other hand, did pose a threat to the birds. A 1080 rabbit baiting program in 2013 was successful in wiping out the rabbit population on the island. Remote cameras deployed on the island now show no evidence of any rabbits and native vegetation is beginning to regenerate. The foxes now have little to attract them to the island and are being baited on the mainland before entry to the causeway to provide further protection. The Ramsar Protection Program is coordinated by the Port Phillip and Westernport CMA, with funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country (Port Phillip and Western Port CMA 2013).
Case study 1.3
9 The world’s largest eradication project for three species (rabbits, mice and rats) is nearing completion on Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean. Success in controlling rabbits on the island was largely determined by the variable virulence of myxomatosis. A seven year program began in 2007 with the aim of restoring the island’s biodiversity to a natural balance, free of the impacts of introduced species. Aerial baiting of rabbits in 2011 achieved the greatest impact in reducing rabbit numbers after which the hunting phase began with the objective of removing the small number of rabbits that survived the baiting. As at December 2012, a total of 13 rabbits had been found and killed, the last of them killed in November 2011 (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 2013). There are estimates of fewer than five remaining on the island. More than one year after the baiting there are encouraging signs that the eradication effort has been successful and the island’s vegetation, insect and bird life are showing signs of recovery. Populations of some bird species are slowly increasing, with the island’s burrowing petrels being the main beneficiaries. In particular, blue petrels, previously restricted to breeding on offshore rock stacks due to rat predation, have begun to breed again on the main island. Likewise, grey petrels have shown increased breeding success and have fledged greater numbers of chicks. In the first breeding season since baiting finished (2012), Antarctic terns are now breeding on the island’s cobblestone beaches in far greater numbers than previously, when they were restricted to less accessible rock stacks (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 2013).
The Tasmania Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment scientists started monitoring Macquarie Island’s vegetation in the 1980s. Their exclosure plots and photo-monitoring sites have provided graphic visual evidence of just how badly the island was degraded under the pressure of a rabbit population estimated at more than 100 000. It was a landscape-scale catastrophe that saw increased incidence of landslips resulting from the island’s denudation and subsequent erosion. Without grazing pressure it is expected some of the three weed species on the island will increase initially and then hopefully decrease as the native species re-establish. There may also have been new arrivals of weeds that have gone unnoticed simply because it has been too hard to identify plants that were so heavily grazed. Reports from other island eradication projects indicate that even in the same archipelago, different plant species have responded quite differently to the removal of pest species. If in another few years the eradication is deemed to have been successful, it will set a new benchmark in island eradications for its size, multiple species, remoteness and challenging environment (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 2013).
Mainland islands
Mainland ‘islands’ are more problematic with regard to rabbit eradication as the risk of reinvasion is very high and ongoing. There are however, at least two cases where mainland rabbit eradication has been successfully implemented. These are summarised below:
Case study 1.4
The Arid Recovery Reserve near Roxby Downs in outback South Australia is a prime example of a successful rabbit eradication program within a conservation sensitive area. Read 10 et al. (2011) describe in detail the procedure for eradication of rabbits within the fenced Arid Recovery Reserve. Initially rabbit numbers were lowered by the arrival of RHD virus in 1996. Smaller paddocks within the areas were then fenced off and baited with 1080, after which all warrens were destroyed by either explosives or more commonly by hand ripping. All re-opened warrens were fumigated using either chloropicrin, phosphide tablets, or were exploded using LPG gas. After initial warren destruction, soft-jawed leg-hold traps were set on buckheaps (rabbit latrines), in burrow entrances and on runways. When rabbit numbers were reduced to approximately 1 per km2, individual rabbits were tracked on foot and traps set, every morning for several weeks until captured (Read et al. 2011).
The last few rabbits can display strong avoidance behaviour, and as such, can be particularly difficult to eradicate. At Arid Recovery, the last four rabbits took nearly six months to remove from a 30 km2 exclosure. The last rabbit took nearly four months of continuous effort by two people. These last rabbits did not use holes, buckheaps, runways, did not travel along the same track more than once, and regularly moved great distances (several kilometres). They were also trap-shy and human-shy. Persistent effort with soft jaw-traps eventually caught these last rabbits. Any incursions since becoming rabbit-free were comparatively easy to catch, since they were naïve to traps, and exhibited normal site fidelity and repetitive behaviour (Read et al. 2011).
Case study 1.5
Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary in Canberra Nature Park was established in 2009 to protect critically endangered Yellow Box – Red Gum Grassy Woodland communities. The 485 ha sanctuary is surrounded by a rabbit-, cat- and fox-proof fence, with the aim to remove introduced plants and animals to allow the native plants and animals to recover. To facilitate the recovery of a fully functioning ecosystem, another goal is also to re-establish native animals that once occurred in the region, but have become locally extinct. As of March 2013, feral cats and foxes have been removed from the sanctuary, and the eastern or Tasmanian bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) and brown treecreeper, (Climacteris picumnus) have been re- introduced (Munro 2013).
Rabbits and hares have not yet been eradicated, and control activities are planned for the next few years as part of an adaptive rabbit management plan developed in 2012 outlining control options and a control and monitoring program (Munro 2013). Recent data suggests there are up to 580 rabbits within the Sanctuary (Munro pers comm). Rabbit and hare eradication is made more difficult in Mulligans Flat due to the release of eastern bettongs in April 2012. Also, the sanctuary is of high conservation value, which may preclude the use of some control techniques. As such, the rabbit and hare eradication will not be able to use poison baits that may also be attractive to bettongs, warren ripping is unlikely to be effective as 11 many of the rabbits have taken to living under log piles rather than in warrens, and regular (e.g. daily) shooting is not possible as the area is adjacent to suburbs and is open to the public. The suggested program for rabbit control begins with RHD baiting, followed by warren fumigation and/or destruction. This is then planned to be followed by intense control which includes RHD baiting, warren removal, shooting and trapping. At this stage, is not expected that rabbits will be eradicated until at least the end of 2016 (Munro 2013).
Summary
Rabbits have largely reached their ecological limits in Australia therefore the objective to “prevent rabbits occupying new areas” is less relevant than for other pest species that may still be expanding their range.
There have been several successful eradications of rabbits from offshore islands (Broughton, Montague, Macquarie) in the last five years. Several mainland exclosures conserving high priority conservation sites have proven to be a useful tool for isolating and eradicating populations of rabbits on the mainland.
Conclusions and recommendations
There is some difficulty in prioritising areas for rabbit control on a national level as their impacts are so widespread. A more important objective for rabbits is to minimise their impact by reducing their abundance and maintaining low numbers rather than attempt total eradication, except in the case of offshore island and mainland exclosures. The prioritisation process for protection of mainland areas needs to be specific to the species being protected and occur on a regional scale.
12 Table 1 - Management plans for priority listed offshore islands as identified by Ecosure (2009). Island Management Plan Bribie Island (Qld) No current management plan was identified. Ecosure (2009) recommend that, given the high number of pest species present and the high potential for reinvasion, comprehensive management planning is needed. Stakeholders should build on existing fire management plans and relatively high level of knowledge of species present, and develop a vision and series of objectives for an island management plan. Erith Island and Deal No island specific management plans were identified, but these islands are covered in the Island (Tas.) Terrestrial Portion of the Kent Group National Park Management Plan 2005 (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 2005) that identifies rabbits as a management issue.
The management plan prescribes to: - Undertake baseline population monitoring on Deal Island of Bennetts wallaby and rabbit using a methodology appropriate to the level of resources available and based on relevant scientific advice. - Develop and implement an integrated exotic fauna management plan. - Eradicate exotic animals in the following order of priority: feral cat, European rabbit, brown rat, black rat and house mouse.
French Island (Vic.) Ecosure (2009) recommends support for the national park initiative to develop a management plan for the island. This should include gathering updated information on the status and distribution of indigenous species and pest species, some of which will require targeted survey. Also develop associated plans and studies to determine feasibility of pest eradication and risk assessments of invasion and methods of sustaining effective biosecurity. From these results, develop operational plans and support for the eradication or management of pests and for the associated biosecurity plans that need to be continually tested and refined (Ecosure 2009). Great Dog and Babel No island specific management plans were identified. Island (Tas.) Ecosure (2009) recommends holding meetings amongst owners and any other stakeholders to discuss the potential way forward in restoring these islands and support that they will need to achieve this. Some existing ranger models from NT may help in this case. Following meetings, survey the islands to confirm status of indigenous species and pest species. With landowners/stakeholders develop a vision, objectives and management plan for the island using the survey findings as a basis for the plan. Several additional components may need researching as feasibility studies in support of the management plan and eradication of the full suite of vertebrate pests if possible. Ideally the pests should be targeted at one time, i.e. poison for mice, rats and rabbits, and follow- up hunting and trapping for surviving animals. This approach may not be possible however given that some susceptible non-target species may be present (e.g. swift parrot, wedge-tailed eagle, oystercatchers, hooded plover and pademelon) and appropriate plans need to be developed to mitigate risks to those species. Existing biosecurity efficacy and future biosecurity needs will also need to be assessed prior to the eradications (Ecosure 2009). Macquarie Island Rabbit eradication project underway with fewer than five rabbits estimated to remain on the island in January 2013 (Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service 2013). Nooramunga Parks Victoria is preparing a draft management plan for the Nooramunga Marine and offshore islands Coastal Park (Johnston 2008). (Vic.) Phillip Island (Vic.) Phillip Island Nature Park Environment Plan 2012 – 2017 identifies rabbits as a key pest species. Landcare is currently undertaking rabbit control on Phillip Island, including baiting on private property (Bass Coast Landcare Network 2013).
Quail island (Vic.) No island specific management plan was identified. Ecosure (2009) recommend updating survey information on threatened fauna and other significant fauna values, e.g. orange-bellied parrot. Complete feasibility study for protecting those sensitive biota from pest impacts – need to consider eradication/control options and sustainability questions. Swan island (Tas.) No island specific management plan was identified. Ecosure (2009) recommends developing a management plan for the island. Cats are top priority to eradicate, but an integrated package of pest removal is ideal. Address
Objective 2: Promote maintenance and recovery of native species and eco communities that are affected by rabbit competition and land degradation.
Broad scale eradication of rabbits from Australia is not feasible using the methods and resources currently available, except in some island/exclusion zone situations (see Objective 1). Nevertheless, keeping rabbit numbers low (in some cases less than one rabbit per hectare), is of vital importance to numerous native species (Mutze et al. 2008). Rabbit grazing impacts negatively on many native species: 76 species of threatened animals (46 birds, 20 mammals, 7 reptiles and 1 invertebrate, 1 fish and 1 amphibian species) and 266 threatened plant species are directly affected by rabbits (DSEWPaC 2013). Many more animals, plants and vegetation communities are indirectly affected by rabbits and their activities. Competition with, and land degradation caused by, rabbits is listed as a key threatening process under Schedule 3 of the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. There are several actions identified in achieving this objective and these are outlined below: Action 2.1 Identify priority areas for rabbit control based on: a) the significance of the regional population of the affected species or of the ecological community b) the degree of threat posed by rabbits to species and ecological communities relative to other threats c) the cost effectiveness of maintaining rabbit populations below an identified damage threshold d) the feasibility of effective remedial action e) the possibility of eradicating the rabbit population
Action 2.2 Conduct and monitor regional rabbit control, through new or existing programs, in priority areas identified.
Action 2.3 Apply existing and new incentives to promote and maintain on-ground rabbit control on private or leasehold lands within or adjacent to priority sites.
The identification of native species and habitats that will benefit most from coordinated rabbit control is clearly important in the protection of affected species and conservation of biological diversity. Recovery plans for a number of threatened species identify competition and land degradation by rabbits as a threat. They also identify areas of habitat critical for the survival of these species. The Action Plan for Threatened Australian Macropods (WWF Australia 2011), for example, identifies rabbit control as a priority action for key population sites of threatened macropod species, including the black-footed rock wallaby Petrogale lateralis, brush tailed rock wallaby Petrogale penicillata, yellow-footed rock wallaby Petrogale xanthopus, and the banded hare-wallaby Lagostrophus fasciatus. The banded hare-wallaby (listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act 1999), is restricted to the offshore Bernier, Dorre and Faure islands in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Introduced rabbits, rats and mice pose a threat to banded hare- wallabies on these islands as they have altered the vegetation so that refuge areas during periods of drought no longer exist. This habitat degradation, combined with changes in fire regimes in some areas, is thought to have increased the risk of local extinctions of this species. There is no information available about interactions between banded hare-wallabies and rabbits, however the action plan recommends that where possible rabbits should be excluded from these islands to facilitate recreating past habitats, and avoid the potential for intra-specific competition (WWF 2011). Similarly, the National Recovery Plan for the frog Philoria frosti (listed as endangered under the EPBC Act 1999) has identified rabbit grazing as a key threat (Hollis et al. 2011). The plan outlines programs to control and/or monitor pest populations including rabbits. The program, run by Parks Victoria, Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort Management Board and the Victorian Government, is currently trialling pindone baits as part of an ongoing control program. Increasingly, regional multi-species recovery plans have been implemented, particularly for plants, in an attempt to foster a more holistic understanding of the species and ecological communities at risk within a region, and provide more effective and efficient means to promote their recovery. The Mount Lofty Ranges regional recovery plan, for example, attempts to assess and prioritise threatened species across multiple taxa within a region, and provide a framework for their recovery planning and management (Wilson and Bignall 2009). The recovery plan has used a prioritisation tool to specifically identify locations where grazing by rabbits is a threat to threatened species and ecological communities. Similarly, the Eyre Peninsula NRM Management Board has developed a rabbit control plan (funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program) as part of a multi- species response to several threatened plants across the region. The main focus of the project is to protect remaining stands of nine threatened species from grazing by rabbits, including chalky wattle, club spear grass and west coast mint bush. Property plans for rabbit control have been developed for each landholder involved in the project, which involved mapping the threatened plants and rabbits on properties, provision of technical advice on rabbit control and vegetation protection, and provision of bait and equipment. A total of 11,248 ha was baited using oats laced with 1080 poison. This equates to 112,480 ha of land actively controlled for rabbits as rabbits are known to move in a radius of a least 500m from their warrens to find oat trails. An additional 50,000 ha was actively searched for rabbit presence but none in the following season (Eyre Peninsula NRM Management Board 2011). Notwithstanding the above examples, the review found only a few initiatives in the past five years where rabbit control was undertaken for the sole purpose of abating threat for a particular species and/or vegetation community. The reality is that rabbit, or any other pest, control is rarely initiated to promote the recovery of a single threatened species or ecological community, and is usually undertaken as part of a larger land management strategy. The review found examples of rabbit control programs occurring throughout Australia, many of which are run through local councils. These programs often run in response to community concerns, rather than threatened species abatement and often lack strategic prioritisation due to inefficient funding and other local priorities. Wider community-based rabbit control programs are required that involve on ground control on private lands. The Hume City Council (2013), for example, developed a rabbit action plan that prioritises areas for rabbit control based on landholder surveys, threatened species abundance and patch size of remnant vegetation areas at a local scale. They used remote sensing modelling to determine the distribution of native vegetation to prioritise where pest animal control may have the greatest impact for remnant vegetation (i.e. the largest patches). Control was also prioritised according to where threatened species were most impacted by rabbits (e.g. presence of golden sun moth, matted flax-lily, eastern barred bandicoot and spiny rice-flower). Landholder surveys assisted in providing data on where there were high concentrations of rabbits. Areas with high biodiversity values and a high concentration of landowners reporting issues with rabbits were prioritised for a coordinated control program. In addition, areas with low levels of pest animals, but with very high environmental, social, economic or cultural heritage assets were also considered for control as these areas required a lower level of resources to maintain biodiversity values. Another good example of strategic, community based rabbit control is the Strategic Biodiversity Corridor Enhancement project lead by the SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). Funded by the Australian Government’s Caring for Country initiative, this is a unique cross-border multi-agency collaboration project to control rabbits along a 42 km stretch of land north of Bordertown along the state border and on several arterial roads. The project will focus on increasing native vegetation and reducing the impacts of rabbits along the South Australian and Victorian border. A number of threatened plant species (e.g. Phebalium lowanense) and communities (e.g. Buloke woodlands and grey box woodlands) exist in the project area. These plants are also important food sources for threatened native animals like red tailed black cockatoos and malleefowl. Effective rabbit control at the project sites will allow natural regeneration of native plant species. The project requires cooperation of landholders, local councils and environmental agencies from both states and aims to recognise and support the efforts of private landholders to control rabbits by ensuring that public land is effectively treated. This includes a landscape scale ripping program to destroy warrens across an area wide enough to prevent re-infestation as well as other traditional control methods such as biological control agents, fumigation and baiting to ensure long term results. The project was, however, only has funding for one year and is unlikely to achieve long term conservation benefits without the ongoing cooperation and investment by landholders. It is anticipated that landholders may be able to access further grants in the future to subsidise the costs of rabbit control on their property. The relevant authorities in each state will monitor the project sites as part of their normal compliance programs to protect the investment that has been made through this project (SA DEWNR 2012). The review found that the vast majority of rabbit management programs occur on an ad hoc basis, largely due to lack of funding. An economic decision model that helps maximise cost– benefit outcomes has been developed (Cooke et al. 2012b), which provides a framework for rabbit control programs and helps determine progress on a regional scale. For example, a model developed by Cooke et al. (2010) for rabbits across south-eastern Australia showed that it pays to invest in the protection of vegetation that is intact and shows a high capacity to regenerate, rather than spending money on badly degraded vegetation. Such information is useful for making plans and setting priorities for future conservation of vegetation, especially where funds are limited (Cooke et al. 2010). An example of a cost effective rabbit control strategy is currently occurring in the Canberra Nature Park. Case study 2.1 Rabbits are a prime cause of degradation in the Canberra Nature Park and their impacts are worsened through interactions with grazing by other herbivores, drought and burning, and by sustaining populations of predatory foxes and cats. Monitoring indices of rabbit abundance using spotlight transects or counts of active entrances to warrens is used as a guide to the likely level of damage caused by rabbits. Systematic monitoring of rabbit abundance in the Canberra Nature Park began in 2007 to cost-effectively prioritise and manage control operations. Systematic regular monitoring of rabbits in the nearby Namadgi National Park since 1993 shows that rabbits may be developing resistance to RHD virus, giving a timely warning of a likely resurgence of rabbits and their damage. Williams (2011) suggests that the most cost-effective way of controlling rabbits in the Canberra Nature Park comprises an initial primary control by poisoning, warren-ripping and fumigation, followed by peri-annual maintenance control by fumigation. This best-practice methodology is characterised by more costly primary control and cheaper maintenance control that sequentially declines exponentially in effort and cost to very low levels. As of 2011, primary control of rabbits and two sequences of maintenance control have been implemented and monitored strategically on the Mt Ainslie-Mt Majura area, while five more areas within the Canberra Nature Park have received primary control. A protocol has been developed for a possible prioritisation tool for rabbit control. Areas in the Canberra Nature Park that have received the primary control treatment and perhaps one (or more) maintenance control treatments could be removed from the analysis and given top priority, in order to protect the large earlier investment. As the program progresses the accumulating areas within the Canberra Nature Park subject to maintenance control treatments could be assessed in the same way as the above. At that stage costs should be low and it should be possible to treat all areas in the Canberra Nature Park with maintenance control treatments. Williams (2011) found that the prioritisation of areas within the Canberra Nature Park for rabbit control was difficult due to limited and inconsistent funding. This caused unavoidable operational inefficiencies that confound cost-effective control of rabbits, irrespective of efforts of skilled staff to compensate and deal with the situation strategically. An example is the unavailability of contractors as funding uncertainties discourage potential rabbit control contractors from training for accreditation and establishing viable businesses.
Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of pest control programs is critical in determining the effectiveness of management and providing information to enable programs to be continually adapted and improved to achieve the defined objectives. Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement are the four components of adaptive management. Adaptive management is a systematic approach that implements, learns and adapts management actions in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. While the importance of monitoring is generally well accepted, the review found little reported information on the outcome of many of the control programs. Nevertheless, there some good examples of adaptive management currently occurring, such as the Bounceback program in the Flinders Ranges (Invasive Animals CRC 2011a). Case Study 7 Bounceback has focused its broad-scale rabbit control program in the north-eastern section of the Flinders Ranges National Park. With densities of more than 100 warrens per km², this area had the most concentrated rabbit infestation of any property within the Bounceback footprint. The program achieved success in reducing rabbit impacts to improve the ecology of the area and, outside of the national park, the grazing country, primarily using warren destruction (Invasive Animals CRC 2011a). Quarterly spotlight counts, conducted in treated and untreated sections of Flinders Ranges National Park, were used to measure the effectiveness of rabbit control in the park. Spotlight counts from 1996-2006 revealed that in untreated areas rabbit densities averaged 400 rabbits per 100 km of spotlight transect, 10 times the number in treated areas (around 40 rabbits per 100 km). Since then, numbers have increased in both treated and untreated areas as the impact of RHD has lessened and, more recently, in dramatic response to good seasons. 2010- 11 surveys indicate an average of 2500 rabbits per 100 km in untreated areas, compared with around 200 rabbits per 100 km in treated areas. Removal of a key predator as a result of the broadscale fox baiting program also contributed to the very high rabbit numbers in the park. Rabbit control in the Flinders Ranges has been very labour intensive and the effort required for follow-up manual search and destruction of warrens has proved to be unsustainable. The four-year treatment cycle has not been achievable in the last few years, due to increased vegetation growth in the control area. Increased plant cover, due to effective control and a run of good years, has made it harder to locate new holes and rabbits also use the increased cover for shelter instead of being completely reliant on warrens. An external review of the program in 2009 concluded that warren blasting, on its own, could not maintain reduced rabbit densities. Bounceback is now using 1080 poison oat baiting as a supplementary control method in a recovering landscape (Invasive Animals CRC 2011a). Summary
The identification of native species and habitats that will benefit most from coordinated rabbit control is important in the protection of affected native species and ecological communities. Recovery plans for a number of threatened species, as well as regional multi-species plans, identify rabbits as a key threat and this has, in some cases, prompted rabbit action plans to be developed and implemented. Nevertheless, rabbit control is rarely initiated due to a single threatened species or ecological community recovery and is usually undertaken as part of a larger management plan or strategy for multiple reasons, including agricultural and social. The review found numerous rabbit control programs occurring throughout Australia, many of which are run locally and on an ad hoc basis without follow up monitoring. These programs often run in response to community concerns, rather than being focused specifically on the recovery of threatened species. They often lack strategic prioritisation due to inefficient funding and are overlaid with other local scale priorities. The recent development of economic decision models may help to maximise the cost–benefit ratio of the expenditure and provide a framework for adaptive management of rabbits on a regional scale. Conclusions and recommendations While there are many rabbit programs in place, these are often undertaken on an ad hoc basis i.e. when funding becomes available. Economic decision models recently developed need to be implemented into regional plans to ensure the maximisation of the cost-benefit ratio of the expenditure.
While there are numerous rabbit action plans, there is often little reported information on the outcome of these projects. Ongoing monitoring is an essential part of adaptive management and needs to be an active component of any management plan.
Landscape scale community-based rabbit control programs that involve on ground control on private and public land, such as the Strategic Biodiversity Corridor Enhancement in South Australia, are most effective.
With the exception of some NRM groups, funding bodies rarely take into consideration priority sites for rabbit control and appear to work on an ad hoc basis. By explicitly determining priority sites at a regional level, it may be possible to better direct funding to those areas. Objective 3 – Improve knowledge and understanding of rabbit impacts and interactions with other species and other ecological processes
There have been numerous studies completed in the past five years that have increased our knowledge and understanding of the impact of rabbits and their interactions with other species. This section initially provides an assessment of the objective and then provides additional details on actions under the objective.
Rabbits have previously been shown to affect the ecosystem by overgrazing, promoting growth of introduced plant species and restricting regeneration of trees and shrubs. The release of RHD virus in 1995 enabled the first widespread regeneration of palatable shrubs and trees in inland Australia (Sandell 2006) since myxomatosis was introduced in the 1950s. In some instances, RHD resulted in the first effective regeneration of some native plant species since rabbits arrived (Cooke et al. 2012b). A number of studies in the past have recorded general improvement in condition of native vegetation since the release of RHD virus, including the reversal of impending structural changes and/or floristic changes (Sandell and Start 1999; Sinclair 2005). In a more recent study, Mutze et al. (2008) found that there was a rapid increase in several orchid populations in Coorong National Park following the release of RHD virus.
Unfortunately, after a decade or so of relatively low numbers, the effectiveness of RHD is declining and rabbits are now increasing (Sandell 2006). This effectively means that rabbits are beginning to reverse much of natural vegetation recovery gained during the late 1990s even though more and more money is being spent on rabbit control each year (Cooke 2012b).
Across Australia, there is a growing list of plant species known to be severely affected by rabbit browsing in at least some part of their natural range. Recent studies of plant species have added to the already significant list of affected species. For example, Munro et al. (2009) found that the recruitment of umbrella bush (Acacia ligulata), mulga, silver cassia and sandhill wattle was significantly reduced at sites with rabbit browsing, while Cooke (2012b) added narrow- leaved emu bush Eremophila alternifolia and creeping saltbush (Rhagodia spinescens) to the list.
Many other arid zone trees and shrubs have highly palatable seedlings and their long term outlook remains dire despite the substantial reduction in rabbit numbers (Denham and Auld 2004). While RHD has had some good impacts particularly for the more palatable perennial plants such as the orchids, rabbit grazing on seed-lines is most severe in late summer when there is little alternative green feed available, and that is when RHD has provided least benefits. The plight of these species is illustrated by that of mulga (Acacia aneura), the dominant small tree across vast traces of central Australia. A study of mulga recruitment in the northern Flinders Rangers has recorded almost no seedling survival outside rabbit-proof fenced areas during the past 28 years (Mutze et al. 2008). Even at two sites where rabbit population density was reduced to approximately one rabbit per square kilometre, rabbits still removed up to half the seedlings in a few months. Since mulgas grow slowly, they remain susceptible to rabbit grazing for many years and recruitment is prevented. This is just one example of a widespread problem.
A recent, as yet unpublished, study looked at the relationship between rabbit population density and the percentage cover of pasture species and recruitment of palatable perennial shrubs in arid zones across the Flinders Ranges SA, and in temperate regions (Mt Lofty Ranges, Coorong, and central Victoria (Mutze pers comm.). The study found that there was a recruitment pulse post-RHD and that rabbit damage increased with rabbit density for all species, but more quickly for more palatable species. Damage was apparent at high levels in the highly palatable species at 1 rabbit/ha in both temperate and arid sites. Where rabbits had not been controlled by manual control methods, most of the recruits of palatable species were again severely damaged by recovering rabbit populations. The study also found that increased rabbit density resulted in decreased native species cover and diversity, but increased weed cover and diversity, a relationship consistent across arid and temperate regions (Mutze unpublished data).
Several recent studies have concluded that a very low density of rabbits (0.5 rabbits per ha) is required to inhibit the regeneration of seedlings of many palatable native trees (Cooke et al. 2010, Bird et al. 2012). This limit may be even lower in some arid-zone habitats (Mutze pers comm.). This poses a threat to entire vegetation communities and their dependent fauna, not just individual species. Recent experiments involving still common native mammals have shown that rabbits deplete essential resources. Mutze et al. (2008) looked at the impacts of reduced rabbit numbers on red kangaroos Macropus rufus and wallaroos Macropus robustus in the Flinders Ranges. Before RHD, kangaroos responded to rabbit control by moving into areas where rabbit abundance had been greatly reduced (through warren ripping etc.) to take advantage of the extra food available, and maintained higher numbers there regardless of seasonal conditions. After RHD, there was rapid dispersal to more uniform distribution. Controlling rabbits had effectively removed them as significant competitors. Post-RHD population recovery has also been reported for the arid-zone granivorous rodents, spinifex hopping mice and plain mice (Read 2003). Bird et al. (2012) confirmed previous studies that wombats repopulated areas following rabbit removal because perennial grasses were more readily available despite little change in total pasture biomass. It is likely that the benefits of RHD may have been widespread among native mammals, even if poorly quantified for most species.
Exclosures where rabbits have been completely eradicated have provided a unique chance to study the impacts rabbits are having on the environment (Read et al. 2011). Studies show that there are significant changes in flora structure (Munro et al. 2009) since the removal of rabbits. Post rabbit-eradication increases have also been found for fauna species, for example, goannas and rodents (Moseby et al. 2009; Read & Cunningham 2010).
There may also be more indirect impacts of rabbits not immediately obvious. For example, Gibson and Florentine (2008) found that inhibited native pine (Callitris gracilis) recruitment due to intense rabbit grazing between 1880s and 1950 is now potentially limiting nesting hollows for threatened Major Mitchell’s cockatoos Lophochroa leadbeateri. The most common living trees were between 47 and 60 years old in the Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria (Gibson and Florentine 2008). Hollows suitable for Major Mitchell’s cockatoo breeding are likely to be at least 80 years old (Gibson and Florentine 2008).
Another concern has been for Australian raptors (e.g. wedge-tailed eagles) where it is believed they may have become dependent on rabbits as prey. Steele and Baker-Gabb (2009) used a community-based sighting database to compare raptor numbers before and after the introduction of RHD virus in 1995-96 in south-eastern Australia and found no detectable effects. More recently, a study by Olsen et al. (2013) in the ACT has suggested that the control of rabbits using the toxin pindone is causing some mortality of little eagles (Hieraaetus morphnoides) due to the consumption of carcasses.
Read et al. (2011) found that non-target species in arid areas most likely to be affected by rabbit control are those that may use warrens such as reptiles, and grain-eating birds that might be attracted to poisoned baits such as pigeons and crows. Post rabbit-eradication increases in the native fauna indicate that conservation outcomes of these potential non-target species are typically enhanced, rather than threatened by rabbit control (Edwards et al. 2002). 3.1 Develop simple cost-effective methods for monitoring rabbit populations and the impacts of rabbits relative to other kinds of impacts
Few land managers have the skills necessary to recognise rabbit impact on natural vegetation, in particular the low density of rabbits required (0.5 rabbits per ha) to inhibit the regeneration of seedlings of palatable native trees (Cooke et al. 2010, Bird et al. 2012). This has implications for many land managers and national parks rangers, who often do not recognise they have a rabbit problem despite rabbits at 5 – 10 rabbits per hectare in some instances (Cooke 2012b). Educational material to help land managers recognise rabbit damage to native vegetation has been developed as a step towards a properly integrated landscape approach to rabbit control. Integrated rabbit control refers to the use of a combination of techniques (biological agents and conventional control methods such warren ripping) rather than one single control method in order to achieve effective long term control.
Several information resources have been published in recent years and are free to access online. A single procedure that land managers can readily use to simultaneously monitor populations of multiple pest animal species was developed by Read and Eldridge (2009). The aim of these manuals is to provide details of techniques available for monitoring rabbits and give step-by- step descriptions of the process. Three publications are given below (note: many states and natural resource management groups also have their own guides):
Monitoring techniques for vertebrate pests: rabbits. Mitchell B. and Balogh S. Published by the NSW Department of Primary Industries in 2007. This small book provides all the different monitoring techniques for land managers to utilise in rabbit management programs.
Rabbits: a threat to conservation and natural resource management. Cooke et al. (2008). This booklet is designed to help land managers rapidly assess a rabbit problem and take action.
Glovebox Guide for Managing Rabbits (Brown 2012) is part of the PestSmart Toolkit for rabbits, produced by the Invasive Animals CRC. It is designed to provide current information on best practice rabbit management for land managers, pest animal officers and others involved in the management of rabbits.
It is important that ongoing monitoring developments feed back into these guidelines. Because methods that attempt to estimate the actual number or density of animals in an area are often difficult and expensive to implement, wildlife researchers and managers use various indices to assess the relative abundance of species (Caughley 1977; Krebs 1998; Elphick 2008). Spotlighting and active warren searching are the two most common methods currently used, however new monitoring methods using camera traps should be noted. Latham et al. (2012) found infra-red triggering cameras set up outside warrens to be a practical (low labour) and robust alternative method of determining rabbit abundance for studies assessing large effect sizes in study areas where other indices might not be suitable or practical. The study found that cameras set up at fixed sampling locations are an effective, alternative method for estimating the percentage of rabbits killed during control operations and may be more practicable where it is not possible to drive transects or the terrain is too rugged or scrubby for transects (Latham et al. 2012).
A project has just been completed that looks at different tools for monitoring rabbits and links this directly to the impact. Lethbridge et al. (2013) looked at rabbits in a semi-arid area and a temperate area. There was a good correlation to the numbers of rabbits spotlighted and the piles of dung from the rabbits in an area. A link was also made to the grazed vegetation considering the damage to both palatable and non-palatable species in an area. Lethbridge et al. (2013) determined that at 0.5 rabbits per hectare most palatable species are eaten out and at 1-2 rabbits per hectare most of the moderately palatable species are eaten out. A ‘Resilience Failure Indicator’ has been developed with five levels that land managers can use to determine the impact of the number of rabbits in an area.
3.2 Identify the importance of rabbits for maintaining feral cat, fox and wild dog numbers, and the potential effects of the removal of predators, so that control of these species can be integrated to minimise risks to native species. Pest species rarely occur in isolation from other pest species, and they often have direct and indirect impacts on more than one native species. The future of conservation pest management must continue to move towards integrated pest management in order to avoid unintended consequences for other parts of the ecosystem, especially in complex food webs. The roles of cats, foxes and wild dogs as predators of native wildlife and their exact interactions with rabbits are difficult to clarify. Several studies have reported inter-specific relationships among rabbit, cat, fox and dingo abundance (Read and Bowen 2001; Holden and Mutze 2002; Letnic et al. 2009), with fluctuations in the abundance of one or more of these species affecting the abundance of others (Glen et al. 2007; Claridge and Hunt 2008).
There is a general consensus that rabbits support populations of pest predators, and there is evidence that feral cat and fox numbers initially fell in response to lower rabbit numbers after RHD virus spread in 1995 (Sandell and Start 1999), but there is still limited information on the effects of these declines in predator numbers on their Australian native prey.
3.3 Identify any unintended effects that rabbit control may have if conducted in isolation from other management activities.
A potential cost of predator control is an increase in rabbit abundance, which may cause increased competition for food and other resources with native herbivores. Bergstrom et al. (2009) demonstrated how a management intervention to eradicate cats has inadvertently precipitated landscape-wide change on the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. Following eradication of cats in 2001, rabbit numbers increased substantially resulting in island-wide ecosystem effects and secondary consequences for breeding seabirds. While there has been some criticism (Dowding et al. 2009) that rabbit increase was due to other factors (e.g. reduced releases of Myxoma virus, abundant food after 20 years of vegetation recovery), this control program highlights an important lesson for conservation agencies working to eradicate invasive species globally; that is, risk assessment of management interventions must explicitly consider and plan for possible indirect effects.
When rabbit control is undertaken, there is concern that cats and foxes will shift prey from rabbits to native animals. Cooke and Fenner (2002) and Holden and Mutze (2002) found that the dietary shift was offset by falls in predator abundance. However, the exact impact on native species requires further research.
A recent study (Letnic et al. 2009) has looked into the role of dingos/wild dogs as top predators in controlling mesopredators such as foxes and cats. Applying trophic cascade theory, it is generally predicted that the effect of dingoes on other mammals should alternate with trophic group and scale with body size (Letnic et al. 2009). Specifically, it is expected that kangaroos and smaller invasive mesopredators, the red fox (3–7 kg) and feral cat (Felis catus: 2–5 kg), would increase in the absence of dingoes as they would experience less predation or harassment. Conversely, rabbits and other small mammals are expected to benefit from the presence of dingo owing to reduced predation and competition from the mesopredators and kangaroos (Letnic et al. 2009; Moseby et al. 2012).
Letnic et al. (2009), found that although the trends in the abundances of small mammals, kangaroos, foxes and grasses on either side of the dingo fence conformed with these predictions, the abundances of cats and rabbits did not. A previous study (Newsome et al. 2001) and analyses of a subset of the data used in this paper (Letnic & Koch in press) found that rabbits in the sand dune habitats of the Strzelecki Desert were more abundant in the presence than in the absence of dingoes. However, when data from the sandy desert sites were pooled with the results from sites examined in the Letnic et al. (2009) study, rabbits did not respond to dingo removal. These observations suggest that the response of rabbits to dingo removal may be context dependent (Letnic et al. 2009). Further research is required to determine what impact the suppression of foxes and cats may have on rabbit populations and whether this translates into a net benefit for threatened prey species.
Summary
The improvements in condition of native vegetation since the release of RHD virus are likely to be reversing now that the effectiveness of RHD is declining and rabbit numbers are again increasing. Across Australia, there is a growing list of plant species known to be severely affected by rabbit browsing in at least some part of their natural range as further studies are conducted.
Ongoing studies are revealing the exact impact rabbits are having on native species’ diversity. There is now evidence that increased rabbit density results in decreased native flora cover and diversity, but increased weed cover and diversity, across arid and temperate regions. Exclosures, in particular, have been useful in quantifying the impacts rabbits are having on the environment.
We now know that even low density of rabbits (0.5 rabbits per ha) can inhibit the regeneration of seedlings of many palatable native trees and this poses a long-term threat to entire vegetation communities and their dependent fauna, not just individual species.
While there is a general consensus that rabbits support populations of pest predators, there is still limited information on the effects of changes to predators in response to rabbit control (both in numbers and in subsequent prey-switching) on their Australian native prey. Further research is required to determine what impact the suppression of foxes and cats may have on rabbit populations and whether this translates into a net benefit for threatened prey species.
Simple cost-effective methods for monitoring rabbit populations and the impacts of rabbits have been developed.
Conclusions and recommendations
It is recommended that an extra Action be added to this objective, titled “gain information on the impact of rabbits and rabbit control”. Five years ago, published reports recommended maintaining rabbits at 1-2 rabbits per hectare, whereas new studies show that as few as 0.5 rabbits per hectare can inhibit plant growth. New information such as this is critical in formulating new management responses. The relationship between the key predators in Australia – dingoes/wild dogs, foxes and cats – and rabbits needs to be further investigated. Firstly, how do the abundances of these predators fluctuate in response to rabbit control and secondly, what is the nature of the shift in predation to native species in response to rabbit control. Objective 4: Improve the effectiveness, target specificity, integration and humaneness of rabbit control options
Objective four is focused on providing land managers with better options to undertake rabbit control programs. The objective has four actions which look at enhancing conventional control methods (such as warren ripping, poisoning and fumigation) and maximising the effectiveness of biocontrols. It also considers how best to help land managers integrate these control methods into their management plans by providing training programs, model codes of practice, and standard operating procedures.
The main focus of rabbit control research over the past five years has been increasing the effectiveness of the biocontrol agent RHD virus through the RHD Boost project (Cox et al. 2013). This is in response to the apparent rising genetic resistance of rabbits to RHD virus (Czech strain) and its limited effectiveness in temperate regions due to an already present endemic virus, which protects many rabbits from the RHD virus strain. The project, run through the Invasive Animals CRC (partly funded by Caring for our Country) has been working to identify new RHD virus strains with high lethality to rabbits carrying immunity to the present strains (see section 4.3).
While the importance of biocontrol agents cannot be overstated (myxomatosis and RHD are estimated to have produced a benefit of $70 billion for agricultural industries over the last 60 years (Cooke et al. 2013)), there are concerns that there is a growing reliance on biocontrol methods. However, all available literature on standard control efforts emphasise the importance of integrated control, where a number of different control methods are applied, including manual methods. The vast majority of rabbit control programs looked at in this review outlined the use of several control techniques (see Objective 2), a positive sign that integrated rabbit control is occurring throughout Australia.
Action 4.1 Enhance current methods for poisoning, warren ripping and warren fumigation to ensure they are effective, target specific and humane, and develop alternatives as required.
There have been numerous advances in conventional rabbit control tools and methods with the development of poisoning, warren ripping, and fumigation. The following summarises the current status and advances made in each of these areas:
Poisoning
Poison baiting may be used as the first step of a control program. The objective of poisoning is to remove a high percentage of rabbits, which will prevent the population from quickly recovering, allowing time to implement follow up control such as warren destruction (Williams 1995). In some situations baiting may be the only immediately feasible solution to a problem, such as rabbits living in dense vegetation on the edge of pastoral land.
There are different toxins available for use in different areas; however the most commonly used is 1080 oat baits. Pindone can be used where 1080 cannot because of the risk to domestic pets, such as in urban areas. Pindone also has an effective antidote, which is not the case for 1080. Both the effectiveness and selectivity of poisoning rabbits are enhanced by pre-baiting with non-poisoned bait and ensuring that only rabbits are taking the bait; using bait that is most attractive to rabbits; using the minimum concentration of poison sufficient to kill rabbits; placing the bait in the prime feeding areas of the rabbits; and collecting the carcasses of poisoned rabbits to prevent secondary poisoning of non-target species (Invasive Animals CRC 2012a).
While there have been no new advances in the development of poisons for rabbit control in the last five years, there are ongoing concerns about the humane use and target specificity of 1080 and pindone (see section 4.4).
Fumigation
Fumigation is a valuable follow up technique to poison baiting and warren ripping, and is a particularly useful control method in areas where other techniques cannot be used (e.g. poison baiting). Fumigation works by replacing the air in warrens with lethal gas. The fumigants currently registered for use in Australia are chloropicrin and phosphine. There are concerns about the use of these chemicals because they do not kill rabbits as humanely as other chemicals (Marks 2009, Giglotti et al. 2009, see section 4.4). A more suitable alternative, carbon monoxide, is currently being developed for warren fumigation.
The Invasive Animals CRC has developed a carbon monoxide (CO) fumigator for rabbits as an improved approach to warren fumigation with respect to efficacy, ease of use, fumigator portability, logistical use and the humaneness of the lethal outcome. As of July 2013, the project had successfully re-engineered the initial prototype to improve field reliability and operational performance. The aim is to complete field testing of prototype fumigators to meet Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority registration requirements (Invasive Animals CRC 2012b).
Warren ripping
A rabbit control program that features warren and shelter site destruction is the most cost- effective way to reduce rabbit populations and prevent ongoing damage, particularly when applied over large, semi-arid areas. Rabbits can survive by building extensive underground warrens or using above-ground shelter, such as lantana or blackberry bushes. With good planning and coordination, long-term control can be achieved by removing or destroying the areas that rabbits depend on for survival. Warren ripping is highly target specific, and can be successfully employed at any time during the year. Rabbits do not readily dig new warrens, so destruction of warrens greatly inhibits resurgence and re-colonisation of treated areas. New tools are available, including a wide assortment of machines, such as log skidders and backhoes, which can be used for warren and harbour site destruction while minimising damage to native vegetation (Cooke 2012b). There have been several studies in recent years highlighting the benefits of coordinated warren ripping across properties to achieve long-term reductions in rabbit populations (McPhee and Butler 2010; Berman et al. 2011). The reliance on biological control in arid areas has been based on the belief that it was the only economically viable technique because of the vastness of the areas to be treated by ripping and the concern that ripped areas may need to be re-treated. However, warren ripping programs across Victoria were very successful in reducing rabbit numbers for up to 10 years, whereas rabbit populations that were not managed returned to pre- RHD densities (McPhee and Butler 2010). Similarly, Berman et al. (2011) found that destroying rabbit warrens by ripping caused an immediate reduction in rabbit activity, with 98% fewer rabbits counted by spotlight in ripped plots five months after ripping. Seven years after ripping no active warrens were found in ripped plots, whereas 57% of warrens in unripped plots showed signs of rabbit activity (Berman 2011). Both studies emphasise that destroying rabbit warrens by ripping is a very effective way of reducing rabbit numbers and in many cases can provide an alternative to biological control for managing rabbits on large properties in the Australian semi-arid and arid zones. Coordinating warren ripping programs among private and public landholders means that the costs of control – and the benefits – can be shared, which produces better returns on investment than if control is carried out independently on a single property.
Action 4.2 Develop programs to help land managers adopt locally appropriate control methods, including a process to prioritise warren ripping areas in the rangelands.
Rabbit control is a major responsibility for land managers in Australia and usually falls under the jurisdiction of individual natural resource management (NRM) boards (or similar groups), which in turn fall under the control of state and territory governments. Land managers can seek advice on developing a rabbit control strategy for their property, or find out about related plans and projects in the region, from these sources. There are numerous information guides released in the past five years provided by state government and NRM boards on rabbit management, for example, Rabbit control in Queensland: A guide for managers (Queensland DPI 2008).
In addition, national guides have been developed to provide clear procedures. A booklet on assessing rabbit problems to protect biodiversity was published by the Bureau of Rural Sciences in 2008. Titled Rabbits: a threat to conservation and natural resource management, it is designed to help land managers rapidly assess a rabbit problem and take action. The development of numerous training guides and manuals have been developed by the Invasive Animals CRC to help choose the best and most cost-effective way to reduce the impact of rabbits, which include an easy-to-use guide to work out how much rabbits are really costing and explain different ways to tailor control techniques to the local environment. The Glovebox Guide for Managing Rabbits (Brown 2012) is part of the PestSmart Toolkit for rabbits and is designed to provide current information on best practice rabbit management for land managers, pest animal officers and others involved in the management of rabbits. These information sources are all readily available online. Action 4.3 Conduct research to maximise the effectiveness of existing biocontrols, and investigate new biocontrols.
This action has been addressed by the ongoing RHD Boost Project (see Cox et al. 2013 for a summary of the project), run by the Invasive Animals CRC, which aims to give land managers a reinvigorated RHD virus for use as a biological tool to manage rabbits and limit the destructive impact which the pests cause.
RHD appeared to keep rabbit numbers greatly reduced for approximately a decade following its establishment in the mid nineties. In more recent years, however, there has been evidence that the wild rabbit population in Australia has increased (Mutze et al. 2010a,b). This has, in part, been attributed to some populations of rabbits developing genetic resistance to RHD virus. The most advanced work to date has been carried out by Nystrom et al. (2011) who identified the population at Hattah-Kulkyne National Park in northwest Victoria as a genetically resistant population.
The effects of RHD on Australian rabbit population have been variable, with the greatest impacts in arid and semi-arid inland areas, reducing populations by 80-95% (Mutze et al. 2008). RHD has been least effective in coastal areas, in cool moist areas, and during summer in areas of summer rainfall (Henzell et al. 2002). This has been attributed to the presence of the benign endemic RHD virus which was identified and characterised in 2008 (Strive et al. 2009) and was found to offer some immunity to the introduced RHD virus (Strive et al. 2010). The combination of growing genetic resistance to RHD virus and the presence of a benign endemic RHD virus in some populations is thought to have led to a resurgence of rabbit populations in recent years (Cooke 2012a).
In an effort to prevent a resurgence of rabbit numbers to pre-RHD levels, co-investment in the RHD Boost project was made through the Caring for our Country program. RHD Boost aims to identify overseas RHD virus strains that may overcome resistance due to the benign endemic virus and/or genetic and acquired resistance. It also aims to assess if the new RHD virus strains that are emerging world-wide are suitable to complement the existing Australian field strains and improve rabbit biocontrol success. If successful, RHD Boost has a calculated net present value of over $1.4 billion over 15 years, and will substantially reduce the impacts of rabbits on Australian plant biodiversity over the 5.3 million square kilometres currently infested (Invasive Animals CRC 2012c).
A number of key findings and recommendations have come out of the research undertaken as part of the RHD-Boost project to date (Invasive Animals CRC 2013):
Three different strains of RHD virus have been identified that have the potential to work against rabbits that have developed resistance to the original virus. Three strains (known as K5, E9 and Tur09 strains) have demonstrated advantages over the strain currently available in Australia. These strains appear suitable as biological control agents and warrant further consideration. Studies of rabbits with the benign endemic virus antibodies are continuing and may result in further recommendations for K5 and Tur09 strains. The K5 strain requires a lower dose amount to infect rabbits, and kills adult rabbits faster than the current strain. K5 has also been shown to better overcome the partial protection provided by the endemic benign virus. New information has become available regarding variant strains that have more recently emerged in China and Western Europe and these strains should be investigated under Australian conditions before further decisions are made regarding the selection of new strains for release in Australia. Firstly, a recent strain from China has been reported to infect and kill rabbits with RHD virus antibodies (Wang et al. 2012). If the ability to overcome antibody immunity is confirmed then this strain could prove invaluable in an Australian release. Secondly, a genetic variant different to RHD virus that has been found in France and Spain is described to cause disease outbreaks in kittens as young as 28 days (Dalton et al. 2012). Based on these pronounced but complementary differences, these strains should be investigated under Australian conditions before further decisions are made regarding the selection of new strains for release in Australia (Invasive Animals CRC 2013).
Release of the new virus
The short-term success of releasing a new strain of RHD virus in specific localities seems likely if new strains are strategically released (Cox et al. 2013). It will be important to have a clear understanding of where the new virus might be most useful and the likely economic and ecological benefits that should follow to establish a release plan.
Release of RHD virus via carrot or oat baits is likely to remain the most cost-efficient mechanism. This is a much more practical delivery method compared to the alternative of catching wild rabbits and injecting them with RHD virus prior to release. Experimental releases of RHD virus on bait have shown that this method is highly effective. In a recent trial in South Australia, RHD virus spread quickly through a susceptible rabbit population following the release of RHD virus on bait, even spreading to rabbits that were not directly exposed to the bait (Mutze et al. 2010). The virus continued to spread over the next 2–6 weeks through nearby unbaited areas, reaching rabbits up to 4 km away.
RHD virus bait has also been used on Macquarie Island. The release of RHD virus on the island was designed to reduce rabbit numbers before aerial baiting. It also lowered the risk of secondary poisoning to non-target wildlife as RHD-killed rabbit carcasses are harmless to other species (Invasive Animals CRC 2012c).
A freeze-dried stock of RHD virus has been developed (Invasive Animals CRC 2011b) that can be easily and safely be transported without the need for dry ice. This product overcomes the need to store at low temperature and can be prepared for field distribution by mixing with carrots or oats. To date several freeze-drying methods (with different protective elements and drying conditions) have been evaluated. A pilot batch of freeze-dried RHD virus product has been incubated at different temperatures to assess stability under real-time and accelerated conditions. Stability studies have been completed showing that the virus has a shelf life of greater than 12 months when stored between 2-8°C and remains infective when stored at ambient temperatures (up to 27°C) for 1 month. This product will allow pest managers to 'seed' rabbit populations with RHD virus much more conveniently than previous methods.
Action 4.4 Continue to promote the adoption of the model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for effective and humane management of rabbits
Over the last decade, the approach to managing pest animals has changed from a focus on killing as many pests as possible, to a planned and coordinated response to provide lasting effects from the pest control. Information on the animal welfare impacts of pest control methods is required to inform the decisions of operators and policymakers. An Australian model for assessing the humaneness of vertebrate pest control strategies by ranking relative welfare impacts of lethal control methods was completed for a range of pest control methods (Sharp and Saunders 2008). Increasingly, it is argued that no technique used to kill or manage pest species should cause unnecessary suffering (Marks 2009; Giglotti et al. 2009).
The Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, which focuses attention on key animal welfare issues and focuses attention on investments to deliver sustainable improvements, was updated in 2010, following an independent review and extensive stakeholder consultation. The strategy’s vision is that all Australians value animals and are committed to improving their welfare. Its mission is to deliver sustainable improvements in the welfare of all animals. The strategy provides a national framework to identify priorities, coordinate stakeholder action and improve consistency across all animal use sectors. It seeks to build on Australia’s current arrangements, including state and territory legislation, standards, guidelines, codes of practice, industry quality assurance programs, education and training, and research and development.
The model codes of practice for the humane control of rabbit were revised in 2012 (Sharp and Saunders, 2012). Rabbit control techniques have the potential to cause animals to suffer, therefore to minimise this suffering the most humane techniques must be used, i.e. the one that causes the least amount of pain and suffering to the target animal and the least amount of harm or risk to non target animals, people and the environment. The most commonly used rabbit control techniques are lethal baiting, warren fumigation and destruction, shooting, trapping, exclusion fencing and biological control. Fertility control through immunocontraception is not currently a viable broad-scale control option despite considerable research. Sharp and Saunders (2012) have evaluated the humaneness of each of these techniques; a summary is provided in Table 2.
While each method has some identified risk of harm (Table 2), the analysis of control methods identified pressure fumigation of warrens using phosphine, and in particular chloropicrin, as highly inhumane (Sharp and Saunders 2012). Chloropicrin is known to cause severe sensory irritation and distress, and chronic debilitation in survivors (Marks 2009). Phosphine fumigation depresses the central nervous system and respiratory function, and causes inhibition of vital cell enzymes, bone marrow, organ tissues and brain parenchyma. Concerns about the humaneness and efficacy of chloropicrin and phosphine as warren fumigants for the control of rabbits prompted an investigation into carbon monoxide (CO) as an alternative fumigant (Giglotti et al. 2009, Invasive Animals CRC 2012b).
Giglotti et al. (2009) found that carbon monoxide dispersed evenly in the warren, caused no immediate irritation or distress and produced a gradual stupor before unconsciousness and death. Concentrations of 6% CO killed rabbits almost three times faster than 5% CO, suggesting that relatively small increments of concentration and exposure time are crucial in obtaining a consistently rapid death. A concentration of 6% CO caused death in 8 of 10 rabbits in a mean of 28.3 minutes; some 2.9 and 8 times faster than chloropicrin and phosphine respectively. The study demonstrated that CO has potential as a rapid-acting, humane and effective alternative fumigant for rabbit control. The work has resulted in the development and pending registration of a carbon monoxide pressure fumigator system in Australia as a potentially useful future addition to rabbit control tools (Invasive Animals CRC 2012b; see section 4.3)
There is no perfect technique for rabbit control. In some cases, using the most humane technique is not efficient (e.g. broad-scale shooting in arid lands is not possible due to the vast areas). The humaneness of each technique may be dependent on correct deployment (e.g. sufficient poison in bait, correct machinery for ripping) and overall effectiveness in the given situation (e.g. cage traps will have little effect in a setting where numbers of rabbits are too high to remove individually and make a difference to the population). Managers must take the time to develop the most appropriate pest management plans for their area using the most appropriate control methods. Table 2 - Assessment of the humaneness and efficacy of rabbit control methods (adapted from Sharp and Saunders 2012)
Control technique Acceptability of technique Efficacy Cost- Target Specificity Comments with regard to humaneness* effectiven ess
Fertility control Conditionally acceptable Unknown Unknown Depends on agent No products currently registered. used
Exclusion fencing Acceptable Limited Expensiv Can be in certain Useful where there is high-value crop/pasture (e.g. e situations market garden/horticultural enterprises) or in conservation areas.
Expensive, therefore impractical for broad scale application.
Ground baiting with 1080 Conditionally acceptable Effective Cost- Potential risk of Effective for reducing rabbit populations prior to warren effective poisoning non- destruction. 1080 ingestion can also kill non-target target animals animals including native species, cats, dogs and livestock. 1080 is toxic to humans; operators need to take precautions to safeguard against exposure.
Aerial baiting with 1080 Conditionally acceptable Effective Cost- Potential risk of Effective for reducing rabbit populations prior to warren effective poisoning non- destruction. Useful difficult areas in broad-scale areas. target animals 1080 ingestion can also kill non-target animals including native species, cats, dogs and livestock. 1080 is toxic to humans; operators need to take precautions to safeguard against
Pindone baiting Only acceptable when there is Effective Relatively Potential risk of Should only be used in areas where it is impractical or no other alternative expensive poisoning non- unsuitable to use 1080 e.g. urban/residential and semi- (compare target animals (esp. rural areas. Inhumane compared to 1080 d to 1080) macropods and other native species)
Pressure fumigation of Not acceptable Non-target wildlife Inhumane and must not be used. warrens using using warrens are chloropicrin vulnerable Alternatives are available.
Diffusion fumigation of Conditionally acceptable when Variable effectiveness Expensiv Non-target wildlife Labour intensive. Warren is not destroyed therefore it warrens using phosphine rabbit populations are low e using warrens are can be easily recolonised. Unsuitable for large areas. vulnerable
Warren destruction by Conditionally acceptable when Effective Cost- Non-target wildlife Where warrens are the principal shelter for rabbits, ripping rabbit populations are low effective using warrens are ripping is the most cost effective and most long-lasting vulnerable method of control. Cannot be used in inaccessible, rocky or environmentally sensitive areas.
Warren destruction using Conditionally acceptable when Effective Relatively Non-target wildlife Provides long term management of rabbit populations. explosives rabbit populations are low expensive using warrens are Requires trained and licensed operators and adherence to (compare vulnerable strict OH&S requirements. Effective in inaccessible and d to rocky areas. ripping)
Treatment of rabbit Has not been assessed, thought Unknown – probably not Unknown Non-target wildlife Labour intensive. Warren is not destroyed therefore it warrens using gas to be inhumane effective using warrens are can be easily recolonised. Unsuitable for large areas. explosive technology vulnerable (e.g. LPG)
Ground shooting Acceptable Not effective Not cost- Target specific Shooting may be effective to control small isolated rabbit effective populations but is inefficient for general control. It is time consuming and labour intensive and not suitable in certain situations (e.g. where dense cover is available, inaccessible or rough terrain, near human habitation).
Biological control with Conditionally acceptable Variable No cost Target specific Effectiveness depends on habitat. RHD outbreaks should RHD virus be followed up with conventional control methods to achieve more long-term control of rabbit populations. Bait delivery of the virus is a more humane technique of producing outbreaks of RHD because it does not require live capture and handling of rabbits for inoculation.
Biological control with Depends upon strain. Highly Unpredictable effectiveness. No cost Target specific This is a self-disseminating virus that is already myxomatosis virulent strains will kill rabbits Has become less effective widespread in the environment. It is not routinely used as quickly. over time a control technique though natural outbreaks should be followed up with conventional control methods to achieve more long-term control of rabbit populations.
Soft-jawed traps Conditionally acceptable Not effective Not cost- Risk of catching Occasionally used in areas with small isolated rabbit effective non-target animals populations but are inefficient for general control. Toothed, steel-jaw traps Not effective Not cost-effective Risk of catching and causing severe injury and distress to non-target animals Summary
The main focus of rabbit control research over the past five years has been increasing the effectiveness of the biocontrol agent RHD virus through the RHD boost project. This is in response to the apparent rising genetic resistance of rabbits to the present strain of RHD virus and its limited effectiveness in temperate regions due to an already present endemic virus. The project has identified several strains of RHD virus that have the potential to work against rabbits. In addition, a freeze-dried stock of RHD virus has been developed for easy deployment.
While the value of biocontrol agents cannot be overstated they have produced an estimated benefit of $70 billion for agricultural industries over the last 60 years the importance of integrating several different manual control methods must not be overlooked.
Coordinated warren ripping programs have been shown to provide an effective method for long-term rabbit control in rangelands.
The model codes of practice for the humane control of rabbits were revised in 2012.
The development of a CO fumigator is an important advancement in the humane control of rabbits.
Conclusions and recommendations
It will be important to have a clear understanding of where the new strain of RHD virus might be most useful, and the likely economic and ecological benefits.
Ongoing research into effective manual control methods to complement biological control is still needed. Objective 5: Increase awareness of all stakeholders of the objectives and actions of the TAP, and of the need to control and manage rabbits
Action 5.1 Promote
Broad understanding of the threat to biodiversity posed by rabbits and support for their control
Support for the actions to be undertaken under this plan
The use of humane and cost effective rabbit control methods
Best-practice effective rabbit control in all tenures, and
Understanding of competition and land degradation by rabbits as a key threatening process
Objective 5 focuses on ensuring that the TAP actions are better communicated to interested parties by preparing and distributing extension materials. This objective has been partially fulfilled by the Invasive Animals CRC, although their focus has been predominantly on solutions for primary industry. Integrated rabbit control has been a major focus for the Invasive Animals CRC, and the actions under this goal align closely with the rabbit TAP, especially objective 3 (impact), objective 4 (control) and objective 5 (awareness).
One of the key projects run by the Invasive Animals CRC over the past five years has been rabbit project management with the aim to provide practical experience in rabbit management and coordinating research, to inform future strategies to implement best-practice rabbit control. This project dealt with the growing rabbit problem by establishing demonstration sites to provide training and advice for dealing with the immediate problem of keeping rabbit numbers low. This training enabled land managers to gain an understanding of the principles of rabbit control, evaluate cost-effectiveness, as well as gain practical experience in the use of the methods available. The project also reviewed social barriers, legislative disincentives or the lack of skills inhibiting effective rabbit management. A key outcome of the project was the contributions made to developing the national rabbit management package, relating to the education and extension goal of end-user capacity building. This included the production of extension materials designed to enhance skills and knowledge to effectively deliver best- practice invasive animal management strategies.
The Invasive Animals CRC has developed education material which is available through its website www.feral.org .au. These PestSmart Toolkits are designed to provide information and guidance on best-practice invasive animal management to policy makers and land managers. The toolkits include factsheets on different control methods, guidelines for identifying rabbit problems and for prioritising control methods, video footage of the warren ripping technique and case study examples. As mentioned in objective 4, training materials for land managers with pest management responsibilities have also been developed. The Invasive Animals CRC has developed a diploma-level training course (delivered through the University of Canberra) in best practice pest animal management (Invasive Animals CRC 2010) and has also developed materials for primary and secondary school students (called Feral Focus) linked to the national curriculum. There are regular media articles on rabbits and the rise in rabbit numbers in the last five years. Initiatives by the Invasive Animals CRC, such as RabbitScan, are well publicised through the media and are also increasing awareness of the problem. The RabbitScan project (www.feralscan.org.au/rabbitscan/default.aspx) encourages members of the public, schoolchildren and community groups to enter their rabbit sightings onto a Google map so that experts can gain a clearer picture of Australia's rabbit problem. The feral rabbit map (accessed 10 May 2013) has 4945 locations and will be a valuable resource over time. The RabbitScan project has confirmed that rabbits are reported as a major issue on the urban fringes of all cities across southern Australia. Cooke (2012b) suggests this aspect of rabbit control has not been adequately addressed because of the largely agricultural focus on controlling rabbits. Likewise it could also be argued that the map reflects the sites of human habitation where land use and other values prompt reporting. Regardless, it demonstrates that more work is needed to deliver better rabbit control in urban fringes.
The Invasive Animals CRC has recently developed an easier way for people to access information such as Rabbit Scan through the new smart phone users app ‘Field Guide to Pest Animals of Australia’. The app contains detailed species descriptions, photo galleries, maps, control techniques and quick links to pest control resources for 31 vertebrate pest species in Australia. PestSmart Toolkits and FeralScan web-mapping audio calls and photos of footprints, tracks, and droppings are all available through the app. This highly practical tool for use in the field is a useful resource for farmers, land managers, landcare groups, students, school teachers, universities, local councils, pest controllers, wildlife enthusiasts, and the general public.
In an effort to coordinate effective rabbit management control, a National Rabbit Management Facilitator has recently been appointed by the Victorian Government to ensure strategic, efficient and effective implementation of new and effective rabbit control methodologies. This role involves the day-to-day coordination of project activities, including liaison with project stakeholders such as the Invasive Animals CRC, governments and affected industries.
Understanding the economic costs and benefits
Understanding the costs and benefits of rabbit control in an economic sense is not an identified action under objective five. The environmental benefits of removing rabbits remain unassessed in monetary terms due to difficulties in quantifying environmental assets and the associated benefits of rabbit removal. However, substantial work has been done in this area over the last five years that helps inform stakeholders about the value of rabbit control for the environment.
Cooke et al. (2010) developed an economic decision model exploring the effectiveness of three methods for controlling rabbits living amongst native vegetation. The model provides a framework for deciding how limited resources might be used to greatest benefit for protecting native vegetation and reinforced the need to use integrated rabbit control methods. That is, after rabbit numbers become due low to myxomatosis and/or RHD, poisoning, warren ripping and fumigation in sequence during summer and autumn needs to be used. The study also showed that it pays to invest in the protection of vegetation that is intact and shows a high capacity to regenerate, rather than spending money on badly degraded vegetation. Such information is useful for making plans and setting priorities for future conservation of biodiversity, especially where funds are limited. This methodology could apply to other invasive species, provided that natural assets can be given a justifiable monetary value, control costs and effectiveness can be determined and the impact of the pests on assets can be modelled as dynamic population processes. The actual economic benefit that biological control of rabbits has produced has been estimated to be $70 million for Australian agricultural industries over the last 60 years (Cooke et al. 2013). While the first released biocontrol, myxoma virus, generated the most returns, this should not cloud the fact that subsequent investments of this kind can produce valuable outcomes. The introduction of RHD virus, for example, resulted in an immediate increase in benefits to Australia’s livestock industries of about $350 million per year, while the research leading to its introduction cost about $12 million over 8 years.
With current technology, Australia still has a seemingly unavoidable economic loss to rabbits of about $200 million annually (Gong et al. 2009). This is the estimated cost from rabbits in difficult to access areas (e.g. creeks and rocky hills) where they can have both a significant cost on the regeneration of native shrubs and trees and on agriculture.
Summary Since 2008, education and promotion tools have been developed including mobile phone and web-based tools, and guides for monitoring and control techniques. There is public interest in rabbits and the primary industry and biodiversity problems as indicated by media articles and participation in web-based tools. The development of cost benefit analysis and decision model techniques are major advances in strategic decision making which will assist land managers to best allocate limited resources.
Conclusions and recommendations
While information is easily accessible, there are still barriers to uptake of best practice control methods and ongoing work is needed to ensure that land managers are able to identify rabbit impact, use cost-effective methods and gain experience in the use of the methods available. This information needs to be extended to others, such as individual farmers, park rangers and land-care or NRM groups who require advice about achieving effective rabbit control. 5. CONCLUSIONS
The 2008 rabbit TAP aimed to address ways to abate the threat of rabbit competition and land degradation. There have been numerous advancements in the past five years and several actions outlined in the TAP have been achieved. Accumulating information on the impact of wild rabbits in Australia re-confirms the environmental impact of rabbits. There have also been significant advances in research into control agents, through the RHD boost project, with several virus variants identified that have a reasonably good chance of overriding the resistance now developing in Australian rabbits.
While information on identifying rabbit impact and guidelines for implementing control programs are now readily accessible, there are still barriers to uptake of best practice control methods and ongoing work is needed to ensure that land managers are able to identify rabbit impact, use cost-effective methods and gain experience in the use of the methods available. More effort is needed to engage farmers and conservation land managers to eliminate rabbits by manual means, both for the immediate future and to capitalise on RHD boost when the new virus is in place.
A wider, landscape-scale approach to rabbit control is needed, rather than previous approaches that are often ad hoc and lack strategic or adaptive management. The recent development of economic decision models may help to maximise cost–benefit and provide a framework for rabbit control programs on a regional scale.
It is concluded that the issues raised in the 2008 TAP and its objectives are still valid in 2013 and likely to remain so into the future. Some revision of actions and their level of priority may be required.
6. LOOKING FORWARD
This review has concluded that the key threatening process of completion and land degradation by rabbits has not been abated and that the goals and objectives of the threat abatement plan have not been met. There is a requirement for the Minister to “decide to have a threat abatement plan for the process if he or she believes that having and implementing a threat abatement plan is a feasible, effective and efficient way to abate the process” (EPBC Act Section 270(a)(2)). This decision must be undertaken every five years. In providing advice to the Minister regarding this decision there appear to be two options related to the current threat abatement plan:
1. Retain the TAP as it stands for a further five years. The current plan has objectives that are still valid. Some of the actions under the objective have been completed or, as further knowledge has been gained, and are no longer as relevant to abating the threat.
2. Revise the threat abatement plan and request the Minister makes the revised version. This would allow the actions and objectives to be updated.
Recommended updates include:
Change the actions in objective one to bring more focus to regional priority areas. Change goal from achieving total eradication to maintaining low numbers. More focus on wider community-based rabbit control programs that involve on ground control on private and public land.
New action: Implement recently developed economic decision models into regional plans.
New action: Report information on the outcome of projects including ongoing monitoring as a part of adaptive management.
New action: Include an action to gain information on the impact of rabbit control in objective three.
New action: Assess the environmental benefits of removing rabbits in monetary terms.
New action: Undertake research into barriers to uptake of best practice control methods.
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Biodiversity Fund
The Biodiversity Fund, under Clean Energy Futures, has funded seven projects (all in 2011/12) totalling $4,659,500 (GST exclusive) that have an element related to rabbit management and understanding their impacts on biodiversity. A table at Appendix A outlines the projects. The outcomes of these projects and their associated reports will not be available until later in 2013.
Caring for Country
The Caring for our Country program has provided funding for 98 projects totalling $93,874,892 that are related to rabbit control or have an element related to rabbits. A complete list is provided in Appendix A. The grants comprise of three different elements.
Community Action Grants
The Caring for Country project has funded 62 Community Action Grants related to rabbit management. These are small grants aimed at helping local community groups take action to conserve and protect their natural environment. The grants are targeted towards established local community-based organisations that are successfully delivering projects to support sustainable farming and/or protect and enhance the natural environment.
Base Level Funding
A significant amount of projects funded through the base level funding for NRM groups also involved rabbit management as part of a broader pest management objective. The exact amount spent on rabbits from within the funding provided is difficult to ascertain.
Open Call Grants
A further 17 projects related to rabbit management were funded as part of the Open Call funding. A significant amount within this funding was directed to the Invasive Animals CRC’s RHD Boost project. Biodiversity Fund grants
Applicant Name Project Title Project Description Funding Total Funding ($) Length (years)
UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT Restore habitat, reduce exotic species Scotia mallee of western NSW has high conservation value due to extensive areas 6 353,400 impact, maintain carbon store of old growth mallee and significant rare plant communities. The contiguous properties: Nanya (University of Ballarat), Scotia (Australian Wildlife Conservancy) and Tarawi Nature Reserve (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service), covering 130,000ha, conserve significant fauna including 3 EPBC listed species, 3 plant communities and 8 mammals, birds and reptiles listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act. Nanya is calculated to store c. 2,075,752 t CO2. Project will undertake vegetation restoration and protection measures including predator control, reduction of grazing pressure through rabbit and feral goat control and water-point closure. Through analysis of records for EPBC and state listed species, prepare fauna, fire, vegetation and endangered fauna management plans. B.M ALCORN & T.A ALCORN Restore and improve connectivity to This project will expand the extent of native habitats by implementing biodiverse 5 139,700 fragmented remnant and riparian plantings to build landscape resilience and connectivity, revegetating and re- communities connecting the landscape to an endangered regional ecosystem, by establishing a rabbit-proof, fenced wildlife and riparian corridor to protect native plants, birds and animals from non-native threats from pests and weeds. Biodiversity and carbon value activities will include the establishment of wildlife corridors of community- defining species, providing habitat for endangered species and building resilience through a better connected landscape. A Property Management Plan will be developed and implemented to counter the risks of fire and the threat and spread of invasive species. DEPARTMENT FOR Protecting and buffering a keystone area This project will increase the integrity of a connected landscape of national 3 505,800 ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL for semi-arid rangelands conservation conservation significance, namely one of the largest blocks of continuous mallee RESOURCES vegetation in eastern Australia, the 900,000 hectare Riverland Biosphere Reserve. In response to favourable climatic conditions, an accelerated program of goat and rabbit control will reduce the spread of these invasive species by: removing access to water; targeting localised populations in new habitats; and expanding control to rangeland properties to increase the buffer of land managed for invasive species. Reduced grazing pressure both within and surrounding conservation areas will improve vegetation regeneration and land condition, with long-term potential for carbon sequestration. CARDINIA ENVIRONMENT Increasing the resilience of Bandicoot Bandicoot Corner is a small reserve that has been established for the preservation of 1 10,000 COALITION INC Corner to pest species incursions the southern brown bandicoot, (Isodon obesulus obesulus). It is a relatively intact area of remnant vegetation with significant biodiversity within a highly modified rural landscape. Although the reserve is protected by predator fence, incursions by invasive species such as red fox, feral cat, and European rabbit still occur. Foxes and feral cats prey on southern brown bandicoots. Rabbits are identified as a threat via habitat degradation. This project will strengthen the perimeter fence as a barrier to pest incursions, and monitor and remove reduce pest animal populations within the reserve. Applicant Name Project Title Project Description Funding Total Funding ($) Length (years)
FTLA - Northern Yarra Landcare Protecting fire-affected biodiversity Invasive blackberry is now thriving in the northern Yarra Ranges region following 5 230,000 Network from invasive blackberry in the the Black Saturday bushfires, benefitting from this major disturbance. The weed Northern Yarra now threatens the regenerating native vegetation by smothering bushland and waterways. It also provides harbour for rabbits and foxes, further exacerbating the threat to recovering biodiversity. The Northern Yarra Blackberry Action Group (part of the Northern Yarra Landcare Network) runs a small program to assist landowners with their obligations to control blackberry on private land. This project will add a biodiversity focus to the existing program to more effectively address the harmful impacts of invasive blackberry on the region’s biodiversity.
MALLEE CATCHMENT Connecting parks and private land on This project will enhance the natural reserve system through the establishment of 6 416,600 MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Murray River floodplain conservation covenant and conservation agreements to ensure minimal grazing pressure through the removal of stock from 2000 ha of private farmland land adjacent to a new extension to Murray Sunset National Park. This will be supported by a coordinated approach of controlling invasive species (rabbits and pigs) across private and public lands, enhancing existing connectivity, undertaking re-vegetation on floodplains and wetlands, and controlling recreational pressures on native vegetation. These works will be supported by funds from Parks Victoria and private land holders, and will complement proposed Sustainable Diversion limit offsets projects at Wallpolla Is. PARKS VICTORIA Restoring and reconnecting Australia’s Despite their high environmental values, Victoria's mallee parks and surrounding 6 3,004,000 threatened woodlands in Mallee properties share a history of degradation from clearing, overgrazing and pest Rangelands introductions. Park management currently stalls further degradation, but with additional effort it is possible to reverse the decline and achieve large-scale, high carbon content revegetation in this nationally significant region. Mallee rangelands also have great potential to contribute to connectivity and to enhance biodiversity. Through private and public partnerships we will re-establish broad-acre biodiverse vegetation via planting and restoration, and protect this investment and associated high value (eg. RAMSAR) sites from the impacts of rabbits, goats and other grazing pests.
Caring for our Country grants
Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) 2009-10 CAG09-00053 VIC . FARM TREES AND Improving River Health The iconic Upper 19,940 LAND ASSOCIATION and Water Quality Ovens River and its INC UPPER OVENS (Upper Ovens River, riparian zone has been VALLEY LANDCARE NE Victoria) - Stage 4 degraded by GROUP widespread infestations of willow (seeding Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Grey Sallow and vegetative Crack Willow) and blackberry which are all listed as Weeds of National Significance. The degradation is occurring through collapsing trees that are causing issues including bank erosion; seasonal leaf-drop is causing anoxic conditions for macroinvertebrates and fish; and extensive brambles are providing harbour for rabbits and foxes. This community- based project aims to clear these noxious weeds and revegetate with indigenous species, with steering advice from a number of public land management agencies and specialists. To date, 12 km of the river have been rehabilitated. 2009-10 CAG09-00150 VIC . NORTH Reestablishing links in Whilst much of the 20,000 WARRANDYTE habitat corridors to flora on Osborne OSBORNE protect threatened Peninsula is relatively PENINSULALANDC species and enhance intact and rich in ARE GROUP INC biodiversity diversity, key parts are degraded due to land clearing, past grazing of stock, gully erosion and rabbit and weed invasion. Our proposal aims to improve biodiversity by reducing the impact of weeds and rabbits, and encouraging regeneration of indigenous flora, giving priority to closing the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) remaining gaps in the habitat corridor. This will support vulnerable and threatened species, and improve water quality in the Yarra River and Port Phillip. The local community will also be engaged to become better custodians of this special area. 2009-10 CAG09-00162 VIC . NEWSTEAD Riparian Protection and At present there is 9,780 LANDCARE GROUP Restoration in the severe damage to Newstead Area riparian habitat in the Newstead area due to heavy weed infestation, in particular bridal creeper, on both public and private land. This weed has invaded and damaged high quality native vegetation. Rabbit infestation, together with clearing of native vegetation, and the impacts of mining/dredging along the Loddon River near Newstead has detrimentally affected water quality, erosion and biodiversity. This project will address these issues through weed control, rabbit warren destruction and planting of indigenous understorey species. The project also includes strong local community awareness and participation components. 2009-10 CAG09-00172 TAS . TAS Outer Furneaux Islands African boxthorn 19,727 CONSERVATION Boxthorn Control - (Lycium TRUST INC Maintenance: the Key ferocissimum), is an to Longterm Success aggressive, invasive Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) plant on offshore islands of Bass Strait. Previous funding has enabled us to remove mature boxthorn from Cat, Storehouse, Chalky, Little Chalky, Mile, South Pascoe, North Pascoe, Isabella, Sentinel, Rabbit, Wyballena, Roydon and Goose Islands in the Furneaux group. These islands all host important breeding seabird colonies and many also support threatened flora species. The treatment of boxthorn is proving effective but requires regular follow up after the primary treatments. As primary treatment is completed it is intended to continue follow up control on each of the islands and include neighbouring islands in the Furneaux Group. 2009-10 CAG09-00200 VIC . Hughes Creek OverGrazed The project will protect 17,000 Catchment biodiversity from Collaborative degradation by pest animals, in this case rabbits, by ripping and track rolling of rabbit warrens with an excavator and follow up fumigation if required. The project will work in partnership with Parks Victoria Good Neighbour Program and Department of Primary Industries Rural Extension Program to coordinate an intensive rabbit control program Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) targeting properties adjoining crown bush reserves and private covenants. 2009-10 CAG09-00226 VIC . Mornington Peninsula Community This project focuses on 19,836 And Western Port contribution to Western the habitat of the Biosphere Reserve Port Ramsar and Southern Brown Foundation Ltd endangered icon Bandicoot in and Southern Brown around the Western Bandicoot Port Ramsar site and adjacent Nature Conservation Reserves in its effort to raise community awareness about managing pest species and other threats to critical habitats. Information booklets and educational material will be produced for website publication and face to face educational activities, while the project will engage the local community in a series of workshops and educational activities to improve local understanding of issues such as native vegetation management and the risks and benefits of fox and rabbit control methods for the broader landscape. 2009-10 CAG09-00324 WA . Lake McDermott 1080 Fox and Rabbit The funding will be 9,091 Catchment Group Baiting in the Shire of used to purchase 1080 (INC) Mt Marshall baits to bait for foxes and rabbits within the Shire of Mt Marshall. Local landholders will be able to express their interest to gain baits through this project. Rabbit and fox populations are an Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) ongoing environmental problem for the Shire of Mt Marshall and the region as they are causing detrimental impacts to the local sheep and cropping industries as well as local flora and fauna. Reducing the populations and impact of the fox and rabbit populations will help of the populations of vulnerable species recovery including local populations of Western Spiny-tailed Skinks and Malleefowls. 2009-10 CAG09-00473 VIC . Wises Creek And Coping with dry times This project will 20,000 Talgarno Landcare respond to community Group interest in improving farm sustainability and environmental health of our farms and district. Field days, farm walks and workshops with invited speakers with particular knowledge will be held focusing primarily on pasture management to maintain soil cover, improve persistence of pastures, improve soil health and to avoid soil loss through erosion. Many farmers in the area are interested in exploring more sustainable ways of farming and examining new opportunities such as cereal crops for grazing and fodder, better use of water resources, tree planting Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and habitat improvement, rabbit control and creek protection. 2009-10 CAG09-00500 SA . AUSTLAND Community This project seeks to 15,927 MANAGEMENT PTY involvement in rabbit complement on-going LTD control to restore native rabbit control and vegetation restoration works on Calperum Station. It will rip rabbit warrens in steep and rocky areas which are currently inaccessible to management by alternative means, enabling more efficient on-going control of rabbits. The proejct will engage a wide range of volunteers such as Rotary clubs, students and the local community in revegetating the disturbed sites to prevent erosion and restore the native vegetation and monitoring the sites to determine the success of the management measures. 2009-10 CAG09-00505 VIC . HINDMARSH Werrap Land The project is designed 20,000 LANDCARE Enhancement to address a range of NETWORK land management challenges, including pests, erosion control, saline affected agricultural land and remnant vegetation protection. The proposed site is located on the eastern side of Lake Hindmarsh and will contribute to landholder and community capacity to return degraded and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) unproductive land to a healthy and well managed condition. The site is severely impacted by high levels of saline groundwater and exposure to wind erosion. Native vegetation and habitat has been severely compromised and this program will implement a range of actions aimed at rehabilitation and protection of this fragile environment. The project aims to protect 20ha of remnant vegetation, remove rabbits and weeds from more than 100ha, establish pasture and saltbush on 5 ha and reduce the impact of wind erosion over the project area. Works will be completed by experienced volunteers and contractors and the site will be maintained by the landholder under a project agreement with Hindmarsh Landcare Network. 2009-10 CAG09-00658 WA . Blackwood Basin Controlling feral This project will link 19,636 Group Incorporated vertebrates to protect with established biodiversity assets in programs to reduce the Blackwood Basin. rabbit and fox numbers. Land managers within a 30 kilometre buffer area will be engaged in protecting high biodiversity assets and offered an incentive to help cover the financial costs of baiting, fumigating and ripping Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) burrows. Media publicity to raise awareness of the damage caused by rabbits, knowledge of control options and project outcomes will be widespread. Awareness and capacity of land managers to undertake meaningful pest control will increase through training and technical advice in control methods. 2009-10 CAG09-00777 VIC . Parklands Albury Banishing the Bunnies This project will reduce 13,803 Wodonga Limited and Building Capacity erosion and sediment flows into the Murray River by tackling rabbits and remaining rabbit harbouring blackberry bushes on 16 kilometres of degraded crown land water frontage where restoration and revegetation works are underway. It will also reduce erosion and sediment flows into the Murray River from the lower Kiewa River by tackling rabbits and priority revegetation with 1000 seedlings on sections of eroding river bank. The project will build community capacity to tackle pest animals, increase hands-on community involvement in bushland restoration works, and address skills shortages in this region for pest animal control work. Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) 2009-10 CAG09-00785 VIC . WARBY RANGE Continuing Warby This project aims to 15,273 LANDCARE AND Range renovate and restore RABBIT CONTROL Landcarers/Aboriginal neglected private land GROUP Community NRM recently acquired by an partnerships aboriginal community organisation to a healthy ecological state in partnership with the Warby Range Landcare Group. Degradation through recreation vehicle damage, woody weed infestation, loss of understorey shrubs, grasses and sedges are among high priority environmental riverine and floodplain management issues in North East Victoria. The current recommend best practice approach is to remove weeds, fence land to protect from tresspassing vehicles and straying livestock, renovate landscape to avoid erosion and re-establish selected indigenous plant species with regular maintenance activity. 2009-10 CAG09-00936 NSW . Citizens Wildlife Hilltop regeneration This project involves 5,227 Corridors Armidale and enhancement at rabbit control measures, Incorporated 'Eastlake' fencing of remnant vegetation and revegetation via direct seeding on the 'Eastlake' property in the New England Tablelands. Fallen timber that is currently providing habitat for rabbits will be burnt. The site will then be ripped to remove rabbit warrens. A perimeter Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) fence will be erected to exclude stock and allow direct seeding of shrubs on the site. 2009-10 CAG09-00940 VIC . SUTTON GRANGE The creation of Due to excessive 10,982 LANDCARE GROUP biodiversity copses to clearing and hard sheep INC protect and support old grazing in the past, this growth remnants, deal property now has a with recharge issues legacy of denuded hills and enhance soil health and degraded soils adding to local recharge/discharge issues. With both metamorphic and granite soils, rabbits are also an issue. The Sutton Grange Landcare Groups project aims to establish copses and corridors which will link into old growth remnant on an abutting road reserve. The copses will extend out along the denuded flanks providing substantial support for existing vegetation. Fencing will enable the landholders to maintain stock and consider judicious crash-grazing of revegetation zones to manage pasture weeds in about 3-4 years. 2009-10 Landcare NSW . South Myall Catchment Improving management Improve remnants and 192,200 Landcare Group Inc of native habitat and open woodland by steep, erosion prone linking existing vegetation to tree plantings. Increase regeneration of natural habitat by reducing the impact of lantana (a Weed of National Significance), rabbits and excessive grazing pressure. Increase ground cover by Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) revegetation with native and adapted perennial pasture species and adopting advanced farming cultural practices to reduce sediment loss 2009-10 Landcare NSW . Mallee Landcare Group Warren Destruction The proposed works 152,174 will move towards the completion of an extensive ripping campaign within the Mallee Landcare Group. The project aims to protect biodiversity values in the Mallee Landcare area from the impact of rabbits. This project will cover approximately 2,500 ha of roadsides across approximately 400,000 ha within the Mallee Landcare Group area. This proposal will use the established landholder network of Landcare to suppress rabbit populations that threaten remnant buloke and mallee woodland communities and adjoining farmland. There are large areas of roadsides that have had few if any control methods applied to the rabbits in the past five or more years. The Landcare Coordinator will engage contractors to conduct rabbit warren ripping along approximately 850 km of roadside. 2009-10 Landcare NSW . Lexton Landcare Group Linkages in the This project will work 129,720 landscape with 19 landholders to Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) deliver 27 on-ground projects that both directly protect and provide key landscape vegetation linkages across the upper reaches of the Bet Bet creek catchment. The project will involve protective fencing, natural regeneration, direct seeding of native vegetation, rabbit and weed control works. 2009-10 NRM NSW . Border Rivers-Gwydir . The Border Rivers 4,410,803 CMA Gwydir Catchment Management Authority will deliver integrated projects delivering on multiple Caring for our Country targets. These projects will be underpinned by community engagement to support landscape change that adds to the National Reserve System, increases and improves native habitat and reduces the impact of weeds and rabbits. Additionally education and awareness workshops will be undertaken to increase the capacity of landholders in the Ramsar listed Gwydir Wetlands to maintain and restore the ecological values of the area. Partnerships will continue to be established with Indigenous groups, including the maintenance of the Aboriginal Reference Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and Advisory Group and the recording of traditional Indigenous ecological knowledge for future generations. 2009-10 NRM SA . Eyre Peninsula . The Eyre Peninsula 4,572,900 NRM proposal balances sustainable productive farming practices and the ongoing protection and enhancement of the region's ecological assets. It will deliver significant landscape scale change through four key program areas, supported by an integrated approach to Aboriginal and community engagement. Key outcomes of the proposal include a reduction in the risk and incidence of soil erosion events; reduction of rabbit populations over 400,000ha, with broader effect over 1.2million hectares, allowing threatened plant species listed in the EPBC Act to regenerate; addressing invasive species threats impacting on High Conservation-Value Aquatic Ecosystems. These major achievements will be supported by increases to volunteer involvement in managing natural resources; improved land-management practices by Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) organisations and individuals; and the building of stronger partnerships with Aboriginal communities. 2009-10 NRM SA . Northern and Yorke . The Northern and 3,134,000 Yorke NRM Board package balances sustainable productive farming practices and the ongoing protection and enhancement of the region's ecological assets. It will deliver significant landscape scale change through several program areas, supported by an integrated approach to Aboriginal and community engagement. Key outcomes of the proposal include a reduction in the risk and incidence of soil acidification and soil erosion; control of weeds of national significance and suppression of rabbit populations over 4,000 hectares, allowing native bushland, including threatened plant species listed in the EPBC Act, to regenerate. These major achievements will be supported by increases to volunteer involvement in managing natural resources; improved land-management practices by organisations and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) individuals; and the building of stronger partnerships with Aboriginal communities. 2009-10 NRM SA . South Australian . The South Australian 10,779,456 Murray-Darling Basin Murray-Darling Basin NRM Board package balances sustainable productive farming practices and ongoing protection and enhancement of regional ecological assets. It will deliver significant landscape- scale change through eight key program areas, supported by an integrated approach to Aboriginal and community engagement. Key outcomes of include increasing priority native habitat managed to reduce critical threats by 18,650 hectares; a reduction in the risk and incidence of soil erosion events; reduction of rabbit populations over 11,000 hectares, allowing threatened plant species listed in the EPBC Act to regenerate; addressing invasive species threats impacting on Ramsar and High Conservation- Value Aquatic Ecosystems. These major achievements will be supported by increases to volunteer involvement in managing natural Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) resources; improved land-management practices by organisations and individuals; and the building of stronger partnerships with Aboriginal communities. 2009-10 NRM TAS . NRM South . NRM South will deliver 4,423,200 targeted activities that will achieve significant weed reduction, protection of Ramsar wetlands and coastal hotspots, reduced impact of rabbits on threatened flora, increase of native habitat for threatened ecological communities, and improvement in land management practices, in the priority sub- regions: Upper- Derwent/Highland Lakes; Huon/D'Entrecasteaux; Swan Apsley/Little Swanport; Tasman Peninsula/Sorell. The investment package also focuses on community- engagement, communications, knowledge- management and capacity building. Foundational support provided to regional stakeholders by building and disseminating NRM knowledge, data and information, raising awareness and building Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) capacity will achieve community & Aboriginal engagement targets, coastal community engagement and improving land management practices targets through a comprehensive program designed to invigorate, connect, empower and support NRM practitioners, groups and individuals. 2009-10 NRM VIC . Glenelg Hopkins . The Glenelg Hopkins 6,962,200 CMA proposal focuses on the Victorian Volcanic Plains, the Glenelg Hopkins catchment's woodlands and wetlands, the Lower Glenelg HCVAE and coastal areas threatened by agricultural pressure including soil acidification, habitat loss including threatened EPBC listed species, weed invasion and rabbits. The proposal also includes the application of indigenous ecological knowledge combined with proven NRM methods. 2009-10 NRM VIC . North Central CMA . The NCCMA will 3,484,000 deliver a number of projects that address of suit of targets in the region. The Northern Plains Conservation project will address critical threats to the native habitat. The Connecting Country project will increase the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) area of native habitat and vegetation that is managed to reduce critical threats to biodiversity including reducing the impact of rabbits and weeds of national significance in the priority EPBC listed White-Box Yellow-Box community. The Kooyoora Connections project will increase the area of native habitat and vegetation that is managed to reduce critical threats to biodiversity and improve condition and connectivity in landscapes with priority endangered Buloke woodlands of the Riverina and Murray- Darling Depression Bioregions and the critically endangered White Box-Yellow Box Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and derived Native Grassland. The project also includes suppressing rabbit populations to protect the Malleefowl and Spiny Rice-flower (EPBC). 2009-10 NRM VIC . Wimmera CMA . The Wimmera CMA 2,304,000 proposal includes a tender approach (market based instrument) to address threatened species and threatened ecological communities within the Buloke Woodlands; protection of existing Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) vegetation by landholders through controlling grazing, planting buffer strips and improving connectivity; rabbit control at the Ramsar listed Lake Albacutya and inclusion of indigenous engagement; and reducing the impact of weeds on parts of the Wimmera River, Lake Hindmarsh, and Lake Albacutya. 2009-10 NRM WA . Northern Agricultural . The region funding will 14,189,100 Catchments Council engage 500 farmers, responsible for around 60% of the region's 5.5m hectares of agricultural land, to protect 15,000 hectares of priority vulnerable soils. The northern agricultural region, due to soils and landscape, is especially vulnerable to wind erosion. It has experienced 5 dry seasons in the last 7 and is likely to be severely impacted under climate change scenarios. The NACC has a strong history of farmer engagement and its regional proposal is focused on farmer engagement in wind erosion activities. It will also engage with the farmer community, coastal community organisations and Indigenous community in weed management, coastal rehabilitation Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and rabbit control with a focus on threatened species and weeds of national significance. 2009-10 NRM WA . South West Catchments . The South West 10,564,000 Council Catchments Council is conducting a program of four projects over two years under Caring for our Country. These four projects individually focus on four of the national priorities (Coastal, Biodiversity, Sustainable Agriculture and Community) covering 15 targets. With this investment SWCC will work with land managers and relevant stakeholders in the low rainfall wheatbelt area of the region to improve land management practices via extension and on- ground activities to reduce the effects of wind erosion. They will undertake activities in two priority Coastal Hotspots and Coastal Ramsar Wetlands (The Peel-Harvey and Vasse- Geographe) to reduce threats, control weeds and other invasive species. SWCC will also address critical threats such as weeds and rabbits that affect priority biodiversity assets and threatened ecological communities. 2009-10 Open Call N/A . Invasive Animals RHD Boost: Import and RHD Boost aims to 1,515,000 Cooperative Research evaluate new RHD identify new Rabbit Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Centre virus strains to Haemorrhagic Disease strengthen rabbit Virus (RHDV) strains biocontrol with high lethality to rabbits immune to endemic Australian Rabbit Calicivirus (RCV-A1) and rabbits resistant to infection with Czech 351 derived RHDV strains. The project is a strategic response to the apparent rising genetic resistance to the RHDV CZ 351 strain released, and its limited effectiveness in temperate regions due to the endemic RCV- A1, which protects many rabbits from the RHDV strain. In Europe, new RHDVa strains are out- competing the original RHDV strains in the field and strongly suppressing wild rabbit populations in cooler, wetter regions. The project will evaluate new candidate RHDV strains. This includes screening to determine which candidate RHDV strains overcome rabbits with immunity to CZ351 derived RHDV and RCV-A1, and research to confirm the competitive advantage of the new candidate RHDV strains. A decision framework to optimise the impacts from releasing candidate RHDV strains will also be developed. Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) 2009-10 Open Call SA . Middleback Alliance The Middleback The Middleback 247,500 (Ecological Horizons Alliance: A landholder Alliance is a joint Pty. Ltd.) partnership achieving initiative between local landscape scale landholders, the S.A. restoration in remote Dept for Environment South Australia and Heritage and OneSteel Mining Operation. The aim of the program is to jointly manage more than 100,000 hectares of semi-arid rangelands in remote Australia to improve land management, reduce threatening processes such as goats, foxes and rabbits and enhance threatened species habitat. Activities include community engagement and education, regional threat abatement programs coordinated by local landholders, fire management, waterhole management, and surveys and monitoring for threatened species (including nationally threatened chalky wattle (Acacia cretacea), Malleefowl and Sandhill Dunnart) 2009-10 Open Call SA . Loxton to Bookpurnong Suppress the threats This project will 66,450 Local Action Planning posed by invasive plant address a number of Committee Inc and animal species at a threats currently posed HCVAE site, by invasive plant and Katarapko Wetland animal species at Katarapko Wetland. This wetland has been identified by the Australian Government as a High Conservation Value Aquatic Ecosystem, and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) contains three nationally threatened species as listed in the EPBC Act. The Committee aim to reduce rabbit numbers to less than one per hectare. A two year pest plant and animal program is planned, with a two-pronged target of 1) eradicating invasive weeds already present within the wetland; and 2) reducing the threat of invasive weeds entering the wetland from neighbouring properties and the adjacent townships of Berri and Loxton. Landholder and community education and involvement forms an integral part of this project, in order to facilitate improved future land management practices. 2009-10 Open Call VIC . Bass Coast Landcare 'Penguins to the Prom' 'Penguins to the Prom' 93,600 Network is an integrated comprehensive rabbit management project designed to complement and enhance smaller existing control projects. The geographical range of the project is from Philip Island to Wilsons Promontory, encapsulating over 120 kilometres of Victoria's coastline. By reducing the impact of rabbits - we aim to reverse the concurrent loss of Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) natural assets caused by rabbits, minimising detrimental impacts rabbits have on social, economic and agricultural production. Our project draws on existing expertise and on-going practices - but will be enhanced by complementary resources, leading to more comprehensive works over a wider geographical area, lessening the influence of re-colonising rabbits into previously well managed areas. 2009-10 Open Call WA . Department of Reducing impacts of This project will reduce 993,000 Environment and rabbits to regenerate rabbit populations to Conservation threatened flora, levels that allow the (Wheatbelt Region) communities and regeneration of critical critical habitat - habitat for threatened Western Australian flora and communities. wheatbelt. However the removal of rabbits alone will not necessarily promote recruitment and regeneration without a more integrated and holistic approach to management. Therefore, the project will also integrate other management activities, particularly weed control and the deliberate introduction of disturbance such as fire, to provide the environmental conditions necessary for regeneration and recruitment. The project will require the cooperation and involvement of various Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) land managers, volunteers and agency staff to ensure the most cost effective rabbit control in critical habitat of threatened flora and communities. CAG10-00186 NSW Border Rivers-Gwydir Gwymac Incorporated Reducing threats to This project will reduce 13,360 biodiversity and rabbit infestation and controlling invasive the prevalence of the species populations at invasive species SW Inverell in New African lovegrass in the South Wales South West Inverell catchment. This noxious weed threatens to suffocate native grass species, reduce biodiversity and create a monoculture. The project will establish five trial sites to demonstrate techniques for African lovegrass control, including a control site to monitor the impact of the activities. A field day, involving a range of stakeholders, will be held to share results and improve landholder knowledge. The project will also involve a rabbit baiting program which will allow a coordinated strategic approach to controlling this pest species. A public meeting will be held to showcase rabbit-baiting alternatives which should result in a marked decrease in the visible damage caused by rabbits in the 2010-11 catchment. 2010-11 CAG10-00250 SA South East Wetlands & Wildlife Weed and feral animal Since 2008, 720 ha of 12,050 Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) control in Morella land in Morella, Salt revegetation area Creek, South Australia has been revegetated. It is now necessary to control weeds (particularly Boxthorn and horehound) and rabbits and hares while the native plants become established. As the trees and shrubs grow they will out- compete the weeds and create a habitat that is less favourable to rabbits and hares. To control weed and animal pests in the interim, the Wetlands and Wildlife community group will poison herbaceous weeds, mechanically remove Boxthorns, destroy rabbit warrens and poison and shoot rabbits and hares. As the native revegetation becomes established, its survival and growth as well as pest burden will be monitored and follow-up control measures will be taken as appropriate. 2010-11 CAG10-00252 VIC North Central Campaspe River and Hand clearing of Poplar Building on a seven 19,500 Land Management Suckers from river bed year community project Group Friends of the and native plant that has seen four Campaspe River revegetation of steep kilometres of the river bank - Campaspe Campaspe River River Kyneton - Apex returned to Weir to Racecourse environmental health from previous use as a town rubbish tip, the Friends of the Campaspe River will clear and revegetate upstream areas of the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) river bank where suckers of elm, poplar and willow choke the river banks. This weed infested environment provides a refuge for feral animals such as foxes and rabbits. Working closely with the North Central Catchment Management Authority and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council, a qualified contractor will spray weeds, volunteers will cut down dead weeds for mulch, and suitable native species will be planted out on the cleared riverbanks. It is anticipated that the project will greatly enhance river flows and lead to the return of native flora and fauna to the area including black swans and platypus. 2010-11 CAG10-00360 NSW Sydney Metro Department of Caring for Kamay - the The project will focus 9,000 Environment Climate rehabilitation, on the endangered Change and Water restoration and ecological communities monitoring of Kurnell of Kurnell Dune Forest Dune Forest within Kamay Botany Bay National Park. It will reduce the impact of invasive weeds including lantana, bitou bush and asparagus fern and pests such as rabbits and rusa deer through targeted regeneration and restoration activities. Fenced monitoring exclusion plots will be established to record and monitor the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) recovery of the forest and the grazing pressure from feral pests. Work will focus on bringing the community together to tackle weeds at key sites, with a focus on seed collection, propagation and planting on the Kurnell Dune Forest. Community members will be trained in feral weed and animal control, fencing techniques, and monitoring procedures for recording habitat recovery. On project completion fencing will be maintained by staff working at Kamay Botany Bay National Park. 2010-11 CAG10-00378 VIC Corangamite Ballarat Environment Controlling woody This project will focus 20,000 Network Inc. weeds within the on controlling woody Victorian Volcanic weeds on public Plain using indigenous reserves that have been plant species, rabbit specifically identified control and fencing - by the Victorian State Stage two government and relevant experts as having important biodiversity values. Activities include weed control, revegetation using indigenous plant species, rabbit control and fencing to protect vegetation, and ecological burning. Through the work of skilled personnel, contractors, volunteers and the support of the Department of Sustainability and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Environment, all activities undertaken will promote the restoration of ecological vegetation applicable to each reserve. 2010-11 CAG10-00563 VIC North Central Newstead Landcare Riparian protection and The project will protect 14,700 Group restoration in the and restore severe Newstead area- Stage 2 damage to riparian habitat in the Newstead area caused by heavy weed infestation, rabbits, clearing of native vegetation, and mining and dredging along the Loddon River which cause erosion and degrade water quality and biodiversity. Contractors will treat bridal creeper with herbicides and remove cape broom, and volunteers will monitor and control smaller outbreaks. Loddon River works will include rabbit control through fumigation and warren obstruction. Revegetation activities include planting of an indigenous species understorey alongside the Loddon River. Newstead Landcare will monitor and control bridal creeper annually, monitor native vegetation and rabbit populations, and ensure that at least 80 per cent of native plantings survive for two years. Follow-up bird surveys will be Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) undertaken to enable evaluation of desired increase in diversity. The project will ensure increased community awareness of and involvement in biodiversity conservation. Newstead Landcare will continue community engagement following project completion. CAG10-00642 VIC Mallee Yelta Landcare Group Control of rabbits in the This project will target 12,900 Inc. Yelta Landcare Area rabbits in the Wargan- Mallee bushland area in an effort to eradicate them to allow revegetation of existing trees and shrubs and to protect and restore biodiversity. Volunteers will locate and map warren sites. Contracted labour will be used to undertake the eradication work and landholders will be invited to assist with monitoring for rabbit activity after the treatment. Yelta Landcare Group will continue to monitor the treated site for signs of renewed rabbit activity after the completion of 2010-11 the project. 2010-11 CAG10-00861 VIC North Central Blampied- South Central Cairn The project involves a 20,000 Kooroocheang Land Curran Water series of educational Care Group Conservation Project and community (STAGE TWO) awareness activities to address the threat posed to the local seed growing industry by invasive weeds, which could pollute crops and destroy income. The Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) project will address the need to control invasive pests and noxious weeds in the area. Pest animals such as foxes and rabbits find harbour in these weeds. A demonstration day will show correct procedures in ripping warrens, spraying weeds, correct handling of chemicals and protection of operators. Areas to be treated will be mapped. Regenerated areas will be fenced and a co- ordinated fox and rabbit eradication program will be undertaken. Farm walks will be organised on selected properties to demonstrate the benefits of efficient programs. Community groups will meet to publish newsletters and press releases and there is an ongoing commitment from participants to continue the program. 2010-11 CAG10-00881 VIC Wimmera Project Platypus Stream bank protection This project will see the 19,950 Association Inc in the steep hills of the exclusion of stock and upper Wimmera revegetation of Catchment strategically targeted eroding waterways of the upper Wimmera Catchment. Plans are also to be put in place with landholders who manage their catchments to reduce over-grazing. In cooperation with landholders weed Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) control will be undertaken and any rabbit warrens will be ripped. A buffer will be established for the length of the waterway and revegetated with indigenous species. Fencing will be constructed to ensure stock is excluded. Agreements will be entered into with landholders to ensure that fencing is maintained and that the adjoining paddocks which form the catchment are managed in a way that will reduce fast run-off. A media release will be sent out informing of project results. 2010-11 CAG10-00894 SA Northern and Yorke Caltowie Corridors of Protecting and The project will fence 18,850 Green enhancing remnant four critical sites in the vegetation for declining Caltowie region to add woodland bird habitat to the extensive areas already protected over the last 14 years. The numbers of woodland birds such as redcapped robins, diamond fire tailed finches, variegated wrens and white winged choughs are declining in this region due to a lack of critical habitat, nesting sites and understorey vegetation. There is a limited understanding of the need for complex mosaics of vegetation and many sites retain only the over-storey and no regeneration. Education is needed to Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) ensure the recovery of plant and bird communities. These sites include woodlands of peppermint box, black oak, native pine and triodia grasslands. Buffers next to remaining woodlands will also be revegetated. The project will construct bird and possum boxes with the involvement of local schools and control rabbits and weeds at all sites. A workshop will be conducted for landholders on ways to enhance bird habitats, create vegetation mosaics and conserve biodiversity. 2010-11 CAG10-00921 NSW Hawkesbury-Nepean The Trustee for Stage two: Avalon Golf The Pittwater 20,000 Pittwater Course heath and Environmental Trust Environmental Trust woodland restoration will work with Pittwater Council, Avalon Public School and the community to consolidate and extend previous weed control and regeneration works within the coastal clay heath and woodland. It will also target the endangered ecological community of Themeda grassland occuring on the Avalon golf course. This project will protect locally significant species including black wattle, mint bush and swamp she-oak, and will enhance fauna habitat within an important wildlife corridor. Using photos Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and data collection, participants will document the bush regeneration including creating an active flora and fauna species list. After weed and rabbit control the Trust will hold a planting day involving Avalon Public School children and the community. The anticipated outcomes of the project include a remnant bushland free of weeds including the weeds of national significance such as lantana, improved native fauna habitat, increased knowledge of best practice weed control in the Pittwater environment, and raised community awareness of the need to care for the restored sites. 2010-11 CAG10-01026 NSW Murrumbidgee Royalla Landcare Royalla Landcare rabbit A serious rabbit 6,310 Incorporated control program - problem has been Establishing identified in peri-urban biodiversity corridors Royalla. The project by fencing and planting will increase tubestock community awareness of the impact of rabbits and provide training in techniques to control outbreaks. This will reduce the rabbit population on 15 to 25 properties and improve habitat for flora and fauna including small purple pea, pink-tailed worm-lizard, hooded robin, diamond firetail, white Box, yellow Box, Blakely's red gum and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Tablelands Frost Hollow grassy woodlands. Workshops on appropriate baiting techniques and a control program will be run annually with the aim of increasing the participation of landholders. The project will be promoted through newsletters, partner groups’ websites, community notice boards and word of mouth. A demonstration field day will be held on at least one of the participating properties. This project will increase awareness and engage the participation of the Landcare group and community members in the control of rabbits. 2010-11 CAG10-01029 VIC North Central Mount Alexander Shire Happy Valley The project will 9,350 Council restoration stage six - continue restoration Spraying and ripping of work in Happy Valley weeds for revegetation on two creeks and works associated riparian areas running into the Loddon (a stressed river) and bordering the National Heritage Park. Over eight years the Landcare group have been ridding the area of gorse, blackberry, hawthorn, spiny rush, farm grasses and rabbits and improving water quality. Work will involve seed collection, weed spraying, site preparation and planting for National Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Tree Day. Outcomes will include identification and protection of indigenous plants currently struggling in a grassland area, further indigenous planting around recently created waterholes and reduction of residual woody weeds. The project will also initiate community monitoring along the Happy Valley walking track using the Timelines approach of Alan Reid OAM. Community monitoring information will be linked with Connecting Country and eventually possibly the new Atlas of Living Australia. 2010-11 CAG10-01053 NSW Hunter-Central Rivers Great Lakes Council Pest species control in Professional land 6,500 high conservation value management advisors riverine forest - Rabbit will be used to guide and weed control environmentally sensitive rabbit and hare control measures. The subject land is a very high conservation value riverine forest. The species list of the forest has over 180 vascular plants as well as wedge tail eagles, water dragons, lace monitors and eastern grey kangaroos. There is also evidence of koalas. There are two major threats to this ecosystem; invasive weeds, especially lantana and giant Parramatta grass and rabbits. Benign trapping Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) with potentially renewed introduction of calici virus will be used against the rabbits. This program will virtually eliminate lantana and giant parramatta grass over three years with a 60 per cent reduction in the first year, 30 per cent in the second and 10 per cent in the third. Both weed species are at an early stage of invasion when intervention is particularly effective. Association members and volunteers will be trained in pest control, and will develop operating manuals to inform future pest control activities. 2010-11 CAG10-01059 SA South Australian Mannum Aboriginal Mitigating the impact Wind erosion is a 19,265 Murray Darling Basin Community Assn Inc of wind erosion on serious land culturally and management problem environmentally in the Murray Mallee significant sand dunes where light sandy soils in the Murray Mallee have been cleared and grazed upon for agriculture. The loss of topsoil and the movement of sand have impacted farmland, including soil degradation and crop damage. Wind erosion also has severe impacts on dune biodiversity hotspots and Aboriginal cultural heritage sites. The Mannum Aboriginal Community Association will protect and restore 100 ha of remnant sandhill vegetation and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Aboriginal cultural sites by erecting fencing to exclude stock, and will re-establish native vegetation in 10 ha of a key feeding corridor of the nationally vulnerable regent parrot. Feral rabbits will also be controlled. The project will engage both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, who will acquire new skills in land management as a result of participating in the project. 2010-11 CAG10-01097 VIC Goulburn Broken Warby Range Landcare Increasing habitat for This project will link 20,000 and Rabbit Control endangered species of two existing box and Group regent honeyeater and ironbark forests, grey crowned babbler - approximately four providing linkages kilometres apart, by between remnant Box creating a corridor and ironbark woodlands through productive private farmlands. This will allow cross migration of indigenous avian and mammal species and will enhance the biodiversity of private farm land and the quality of water leaving the catchment so that is safe for drinking. Fences will be erected to exclude livestock and intrusive feral species. The project will involve spraying and deep ripping of the site. Indigenous box and ironbark, and understorey seedlings, guards and stakes will be purchased and planted. Ongoing site Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) maintenance will be undertaken and education material will be provided. 2010-11 CAG10-01145 NSW Lachlan Gilgunnia Landcare Erosion control by Gilgunnia Landcare 20,000 Incorporated improving perennial consists of 12 mainly grass species ground pastoral properties with cover in the Gilgunnia some winter cereal Landcare area cropping. These properties cover large catchments experiencing significant water flow from severe summer storms. After 10 years of drought, the ground cover consists only of annual species. This has resulted in soil erosion and damaged roads and fences. Rabbits, feral goats and invasive species especially Cypress pine also affect the perennial ground cover. This project will establish four sites addressing invasive species control and demonstrating water spreading techniques to slow and spread water flow using contour and spread banks. The project will demonstrate sustainable farming practices that can be implemented at a later stage. Improved management of water flow and reduced erosion will increase biodiversity by encouraging perennial species and ground cover. Maintenance will be undertaken for rabbit burrow ripping, invasive species control Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and bank repairs. 2010-11 CAG10-01148 QLD Border Rivers Granite Borders Greening the Granite This project will 20,000 Maranoa-Balonne Landcare Committee Belt - Revegetation in improve biodiversity Incorporated the Stanthorpe Area and connectivity between scattered areas of native vegetation and habitat for woodland birds in the extensively cleared landscape of the Granite Belt district. The project will also improve farm sustainability by providing shade and shelter for livestock and pastures. This will reduce soil loss, wind erosion, and create buffer strips to slow surface water flow and reduce water erosion. Project activities include planting more than 5000 native trees and shrubs across five hectares in spring 2011. The seedlings will be protected from livestock by approximately 4.5 kilometres of fencing constructed by participating landholders and a contract planter will undertake larger scale plantings. Planted areas will connect areas of remnant native vegetation containing endangered ecological communities such as yellow box and Blakely's red gum woodlands. Project works will be maintained by landholders through Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) ongoing weed and pest animal (especially rabbits) control, maintenance of fencing and watering of seedlings. 2010-11 CAG10-01189 TAS South Timber Communities Reducing the impact of This project will 17,400 Australia Ltd invasive species on involve community Bruny Island action to reduce weeds of national significance, particularly gorse, and control the rabbit population on Bruny Island, Tasmania. The Bruny Island weed strategy identifies 20 declared weeds, four of which are weeds of national significance. This project will eradicate or significantly reduce gorse (the most threatening weed) by both mechanical 'grubbing out' and targeted burning or chemical control to prevent regrowth. All activities will be in accordance with the weed strategy and supervised by state and local government experts. Community volunteers will undertake an integrated approach to weed eradication through onground works and monitoring. The project will also address the environmental harm to the island of the feral rabbit population and aims to reduce rabbits by 50 per cent in problem areas Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) identified by landowners. 2010-11 CAG10-01321 NSW Southern Rivers Craigie Landcare Regeneration of Manna There are few remnants 6,310 Group Gum in the Craigie of manna gum in the district, Southern Southern Monaro, and Monaro with no regeneration, the species may disappear from this area. Excluding grazing will not secure regeneration due to rabbit and native animal predation. The project will re-establish manna gum using natural seedfall and planting, and protect these sites with rabbit-proof fencing. The Craigie Landcare Group will prepare the seed bed within range of remnant trees, and will provide follow-up planting with local seed stock. Participating landholders will be responsible for fence maintenance and pest and weed control during and after the project. The establishment and survival of manna gum in harsh conditions will be observed and the results will be a valuable reference for landholders in learning more about methods of tree regeneration. This site will be used as a demonstration site to educate landholders and forms part of the group's Landcare program of catchment improvement on Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) production sites. 2010-11 CAG10-01358 WA South West Shire of West Arthur Protection and The Dardadine Block in 10,699 enhancement of the the Shire of West Dardadine Block for Arthur is being the preservation of rare encroached upon by native flora and fauna winter and summer weeds, preventing endemic species including rare and endangered flora from regenerating. In addition, predation and environmental damage are being caused by feral animals such as foxes and rabbits. The Land for Wildlife Site 8 group will implement an environmental management plan in conjunction with expert advisors, community volunteers and local schools to control weeds, encourage regeneration of native species, control feral animals, survey nesting sites and collect seeds for propagation and replanting. The outcome from these activities will enable native vegetation to outcompete and suppress weeds, and will reduce erosion. Local students and community volunteers will learn skills in seed collection and propagation as well as constructing native fauna nesting sites. Ongoing maintenance of the area will be continued by landholders and Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) community volunteers. CAG10-01397 VIC Corangamite VFF Farm Tree and Hovells Creek This project will restore 18,200 Landcare Association restoration project- an an eight kilometre Incorporated intergrated approach to stretch of the Hovell rabbit and weed control Creek riparian zone, to enable the restoration increase biodiversity of native habitat and create a habitat corridor linking to the You Yangs Regional Park. This will be achieved through an integrated approach to the elimination of invasive animal species such as rabbits and foxes, and the removal of noxious weeds, including weeds of national significance such as boneseed, bridal creeper and serrated tussock. These non-native species erode river banks (causing downstream siltation and water quality problems) and destroy the native habitat of indigenous wildlife. A qualified contractor will be engaged to undertake a program of warren fumigation and poison baiting. Volunteers and contractors will remove invasive vegetation or treat it with herbicides. After the control programs are complete, native grasses and trees will be planted to restore the native habitat. Land managers and the Corio Landcare Group will maintain the 2010-11 area. 2010-11 CAG10-01401 VIC North East Wandiligong The Wandiligong This project aims to 13,075 Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Preservation Society Community's enhance biodiversity Incorporated Determination to and improve degraded Restore Biodiversity to public land, Significantly Degraded accessibility, public Public Land education and community safety in Wandiligong. Invasive plants within the project area include blackberries, pussy willows, hawthorn, caper spurge, St Johns wort, easter oil plants and robinia. These have created an impenetrable barrier for humans and also provide safety and habitat for feral animals such as cats, foxes and rabbits. The area presently is a bushfire hazard. These weeds will be removed by excavator, chainsaw, grubbing and poisoning. Once weeds have been removed planting of species indigenous to the area will occur which will create wildlife corridors and significantly enhance biodiversity. Fauna control will largely be based on habitat removal, involving the destruction of rabbit warrens and fox lairs. Vegetative cover will also be removed. Erosion restoration will be conducted by a contractor, which will include earth works for bank stabilisation. Community members will assist with Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) voluntary labour. CAG10-01405 VIC North Central Axe Creek Landcare Stock exclusion fencing This project will 11,700 Group in the riparian zone of establish a ‘biolink’ Axe Creek to improve between Pilchers and protect biodiversity Bridge Natural values and connectivity Conservation Reserve to work undertaken by and Mount Alexander local Landcare groups State Park to improve connectivity in the local area. The works connect with approximately 50 ha of revegetation and pest weed control works undertaken by local Landcare groups over the past decade. Fencing will be erected around a spring fed headwater tributary of Axe Creek to exclude stock. Revegetation, where appropriate, will be established along the riparian zone. Seeds will be sourced locally to ensure plants used for revegetation are indigenous to the area. A Green Corps team will provide the labour component, erecting the fence and completing revegetation in winter. Weed control will be provided by the landholders and rabbit 2010-11 control will be ongoing. 2010-11 CAG10-01410 SA Adelaide and Mount Carrickalinga Rate Carrickalinga North The focus of this 19,700 Lofty Ranges Payers Association Bay Reserve Project project will be to Incorporated restore local native vegetation in the Carrickalinga North Reserve. Environmental weeds have been identified as the biggest threat to the reserve and will be controlled at the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) start of the project. Rabbits will be controlled prior to revegetation to improve success and allow for natural regeneration. A contractor will be employed for this weed and rabbit control. Revegetation will be undertaken by the community group to increase biodiversity and wildlife habitat. The community group will plant local native seedlings in the Carrickalinga North Reserve after initial weed and rabbit control. These seedlings will be grown by a nursery using locally sourced seed. Follow up maintenance will be undertaken by the community group and the contractor will undertake follow up weed control after revegetation to ensure long-term success at the site. Includes rabbit, feral 4,056,000 Burnett Mary Regional pig and wild dog 2010-11 NRM QLD . Group . control. Threats to nationally- 5,253,000 Alinytjara Wilurara listed plant species will Natural Resources be mitigated through 2010-11 NRM SA . Management Board . targeted rabbit control Reduced impact of 2,948,800 rabbits on threatened 2010-11 NRM TAS . NRM South (Tas.) . flora Other activities include 3,003,231 reducing the impact of 2010-11 NRM VIC . Mallee CMA . rabbits 2010-11 NRM VIC . Wimmera CMA . protecting the 6,912,000 ecological character of Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) the Ramsar-listed Lake Albacutya wetland through rabbit control Native vegetation at 287,000 Towra Point wetland and buffer areas at Kurnell are subject to degradation due to the impacts of WoNS and rabbit infestation. The project addresses invasion by WoNS and rabbit infestation by employing several established methods of weed and rabbit control through community Towra Point and Buffer volunteer involvement Area Restoration - and an Indigenous Sydney Metropolitan Saving Sydney's icon youth employment 2010-11 OC11-00180 NSW . CMA wetland program. This project aims to 171,000 unite landholders and members of the Two Traditional Tribal Groups in action against rabbits in the Department of Willandra Lakes Environment, Climate Willandra Lakes World Region World Heritage 2010-11 OC11-00368 NSW . Change and Water Heritage Area Area. 2011-12 CAG-694083-36 VIC Corangamite Surf Coast and Inland Bush to Beach Biolink The project will create 20,000 Plains Network along Thompson Creek linkages from the bush to beach by rehabilitating three highly degraded sections of Thompson Creek. Thompson Creek stretches 20km, beginning in the upper reaches of Gherang, receiving overflows of Lake Modewarre then into the Bass Strait at Breamlea. Thompson Creek is home to the Yarra pigmy perch (nationally listed as vulnerable species Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) population. Thompson Creek also lies within the natural temperate grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plains, classified as critically endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Constant threats include rabbits, Weeds of National Significance such as gorse and serrated tussock, erosion, nearby development of Armstrong Creek and ever-growing growth corridor of Torquay. 2011-12 CAG-709245-93 VIC Corangamite VFF Farm Tree & Weering Eurack This project involves 17,250 Landcare Association biodiversity the establishment of Inc enhancement project biodiversity corridors using indigenous trees and shrubs, along with strategic pest plant and animal works to remove boxthorn rabbit harbour in the Weering Eurack Landcare Group area. An increase in native vegetation will enhance biodiversity and increase the extent and connectivity of native habitat. Rabbit harbour removal works will reduce the impacts of rabbits and invasive weeds on native vegetation including on the margins of western district lakes in the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) Weering Eurack area. Landholders will prepare sites, erect protective fencing and plant trees. Landholders and contractors will remove large boxthorn rabbit harbour with machinery and apply chemical to smaller infestations. Riparian areas 12,280 throughout the Newstead area have been severely degraded by weed infestations (especially bridal creeper), rabbits, clearing of native vegetation and the impacts of farming, mining and dredging. These impacts adversely affect biodiversity, water quality and erosion. This project continues Riparian Protection and the work funded by Newstead Landcare CAG-715118-147 VIC North Central Restoration in the CAG09-00162 and Group Inc. Newstead Area Stage 3 CAG10-00563 through weed control (especially bridal creeper), rabbit management, understorey restoration and community engagement. The floods of 2010-11 removed much of the cape broom infesting the river sides, creating a great opportunity to replace this with native understorey and suppress the return of 2011-12 weed species. 2011-12 CAG-719441-294 VIC North East VFF Farm Tree & Improving River Health The iconic Upper 19,990 Landcare Association and Water Quality Ovens River and its Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) riparian zone has been degraded by widespread infestations of willow (seeding pussy willow and vegetative crack willow) and blackberry - all Weeds of National Significance (WONS). Collapsing trees are causing braiding of the river stem and bank erosion, seasonal leaf- drop is causing anoxic conditions for macro invertebrates and fish, and extensive brambles Inc Stage 5 are providing harbour for rabbits and foxes. A six-year multi-staged community-based project to clear WONS and re-vegetate with indigenous species is being led by our Landcare Group, with steering advice from public land management agencies and specialists. This funding would support joining two previous project areas creating over 20km of repaired riparian land. 2011-12 CAG-719721-316 SA Adelaide and Mount Scientific Expedition Improving Heritage Fencing provides 12,870 Lofty Ranges Group inc Area bushland with wildlife corridors for a wildlife corridors and roadside bandicoot pest control colony to access the main scrub area. Local native plant species will be used. These corridors also provide windbreaks for the stock. One section of grazed ridge top will have stock excluded by fencing. The eucalypt Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) overstory and native grasses will be supplemented by local understory species. This corridor connects our main scrub area with adjacent conservation park. Volunteers will do the planting. Poplars, planted for erosion control, now invading the heritage area, will be removed and replaced with suitable local native species without allowing erosion to recur. Experts in rabbit warren identification and destruction will be contracted. A workshop will be run for local farmers. 2011-12 CAG-720456-403 VIC Port Phillip and VFF Farm Tree & Macclesfield Rabbit Rabbits are thriving in 8,600 Western Port Landcare Association Control Program Stage Macclesfield leading to Inc 3 increased spread of weeds, degradation of native habitat, soil erosion and additional siltation of creeks. In stage one of our Rabbit Control Program, 61 properties signed up. Stage two (with other funds) encompasses a demonstration field day, formation of Rabbit Action Group number one (RAG #1) and some initial control works. This project (stage three) will enable the on-ground works for RAG #1 to be extended. It will also fund control works for two more RAGs in areas where clusters of Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) interested neighbours were identified in stage one. All the sites are close to Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve, home to the helmeted honeyeater and leadbeater’s possum (both endangered species and Victorian State emblems). Young plantings in 16,600 revegetation projects are under threat by local rabbit populations. The aim of this project is to reduce rabbit numbers and to enlist community support to sustain a continuing program of eradication. Nicholson River Landcare has undertaken extensive native revegetation Revegetation Protection projects on public land Nicholson River CAG-721951-515 VIC East Gippsland by Reduction of Pest along the banks of the Landcare Group Animals Nicholson River, Salt Creek and Butchers Creek (all of which flow into the RAMSAR listed Gippsland Lakes), and also along the Rail Trail at Nicholson. Other revegetation projects have been undertaken on private landholdings (including those of Landcare members) in the vicinity of these 2011-12 sites. 2011-12 CAG-726496-654 NSW Murrumbidgee Molonglo Catchment Rabbit Control in the The project will build 9,990 Group Incorporated Molonglo Catchment on the success and expand the area of a project run by two Landcare groups in the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) catchment to educate rural residential landowners about invasive species and to reduce the rabbit population. Impacts of over-grazing by rabbits are resulting in reduced biodiversity, loss of native groundcovers, reduced productivity, weed invasion and soil exposure resulting in erosion. Utilising lessons from the previous project we will increase community awareness of the impact of the rabbits, provide community training in techniques to control outbreaks, reduce the rabbit population by broadcasting carrots dosed with Calicivirus and educate land owners of the follow-up work required to keep numbers down (such as harbour destruction). 2011-12 CAG-727870-825 VIC Glenelg Hopkins Ballarat Environment BEN Biodiversity Most of the Network's 20,000 Network Inc Reserves Enhancement 50 biodiversity reserves - Stage 2 are adversely impacted by woody and herbaceous weeds, rabbits and foxes. Over the past eight years, utilising a range of funding, these impacts have been greatly reduced. Continuation of control measures is required but attention can now be given to greater involvement of volunteers, especially local residents, in managing and caring Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) for the reserves. Perimeter fencing 197,340 around a 1000ha property will be upgraded to be feral- proof, allowing for staged eradication to remove rabbits, cats and foxes. This will allow regeneration in remnant vegetation, including protected peppermint box and ROYAL Increasing biodiversity lomandra grasslands ZOOLOGICAL and habitat health and threatened species SOCIETY OF SOUTH through vertebrate pest including the monarto 2011-12 OC12-00244 SA . AUSTRALIA INC removal mintbush. This project will 145,994 establish a biodiversity corridor along the length of the Mt William Ridge line to protect and restore remnant indigenous vegetation by fencing off stock access and establishing and improving habitat for endangered species of flora and fauna found on the site. The project will also complement VFF FARM TREE the Deep Creek AND LANDCARE Mt William Landcare Group’s ASSOCIATION Biodiversity Corridor rabbit management 2011-12 OC12-00296 VIC . INCORPOR ATED Establishment Project activities in the area. 2011-12 OC12-00403 NSW . NEW ENGLAND Pest Animal This project will reduce 190,300 NORTH WEST Management and the threats to LANDCARE Landholder endangered ecological NETWORK CHAIRS Engagement in New communities and INC England NSW threatened species in the NSW New England region. The project will raise awareness about the impact of pest animals such as pigs, foxes, wild dogs and rabbits on natural assets Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and agricultural production. Landholders will be engaged in cooperative programs to control and manage these pests. The project will focus 47,300 on reducing the impact of fox predation on southern brown bandicoot populations in the Upper Wimmera as part of a local southern brown bandicoot recovery plan. A comprehensive and ongoing fox control program, demonstration sites for bandicoot- Controlling fox friendly rabbit and predation on Southern weed control, and trials Brown Bandicoot of complementary PROJECT PLATYPUS populations Upper revegetation methods 2011-12 OC12-00448 VIC . ASSOCIATION INC Wimmera will be established. 2011-12 OC12-00660 VIC . THE TRUSTEE FOR Restoring landscape This project will 525,800 TRUST FOR NATURE links and habitat for connect 23 000ha of threatened wildlife at threatened semi-arid Ned's Corner woodland and mallee habitats across Trust for Nature's 30 000ha Ned's Corner conservation property and nearby land. A landscape approach will be used to restore 1452ha of native vegetation linking the Murray River with the woodlands and mallee. The project will reduce rabbit numbers, fence and revegetate sites and retire cropping land. These actions will also aid the recovery of the vulnerable Regent Parrot and 20 other threatened species by Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) increasing habitat. A rabbit-proof fence 140,250 around the southern 237ha section of Quairading Nature Reserve will be constructed and other measures investigated Reducing the impact of to promote recruitment rabbits on the flora of in the largest population SHIRE OF Quairading Nature of the threatened 2011-12 OC12-00982 WA . QUAIRADING Reserve column hakea. CAG-1040409-1054 SA Wimmera LEXTON LANDCARE Making links This project adds on to 19,990 GROUP INC a previous project to link areas of exisiting remnants. The focus is on riparian and recharge areas (hill tops / slopes) as corridors for project work. The work will fence, spray to remove exotic weeds, undertake any applicable soil conservation, weed or rabbit control works, then direct seed sites with locally indigenous species (trees, shrubs and ground covers). The project will further enhance existing linkages between the key areas of public forest in the area (Ben Major FR, Ben More BR, Lexton NCR and Carralulup State Forest) 2012-13 across private land. 2012-13 CAG-1069097-1133 VIC North Central PENTLAND HILLS 1st Upper Werribee This project will bring 16,180 LANDCARE GROUP Landcare Network together for the first INC Expo - will include 11 time 11 neighbouring Landcare groups Landcare groups to promote awareness amongst landowners in sustainable agriculture practices. The project will also recruit 25 new Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) members and sign-up 15 enquiries for on- ground works. The on- ground issues to be addressed include connecting remnant vegetation into biolinks across landholders’ properties, co-ordinated rabbit control and reducing overgrazing which is causing soil erosion. CAG-1077158-1218 ACT Murrumbidgee MICHELAGO AND Restoring habitat for This project will 9,910 DISTRICT Glossy Black establish stands of LANDCARE GROUP Cockatoos drooping sheoak on the INC (Calyptorhynchus higher slopes of lathami) previously grazed land on six properties in the Michelago region to increase the density of habitat for the Glossy Black Cockatoo (GBC) The GBC require stands of drooping sheoak as a food source. Due to land clearing and grazing by stock and rabbits the drooping sheoak is now uncommon, and few stands of this species are now found on previously cleared and grazed land. To establish this species requires protection from grazing and the plant only establishes on drier hilly country 800 metres above sea 2012-13 level. 2012-13 CAG-1079654-1402 VIC Mallee VFF FARM TREE Murrayville and This project will control 18,000 AND LANDCARE Districts Fox and rabbit and fox ASSOCIATION Rabbit Baiting Program populations through INCORPORATED 2013 baiting programs. Favourable conditions over the past two years Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) have seen rabbit and fox numbers build to colossal proportions. Murrayville Landcare will implement a subsidised baiting program in support of the successful rabbit ripping the group has been undertaking over the last decade. The group is located between the Murray Sunset National Park and Big Desert NationalPark which is an important bio-link for the Mallee region. Large pest populations are affecting local biodiversity through foraging and building warrens, and are known to be present in the priority woodland areas. Implementing an integrated pest management plan is paramount to optimising activities and value for money, and this project will be a valuable support to primary control methods. 2012-13 CAG-1079668-1403 VIC Murray VFF FARM TREE Community Education This project aims to 19,990 AND LANDCARE & Action: Pest Plants & increase awareness of ASSOCIATION Animals in Chiltern Mt the impact of pest INCORPORATED Pilot Biolink plants and animals on biodiversity and agricultural values in the Chiltern Mt Pilot Biolink area. The project will involve a series of community workshops focussing on control of Weeds of National Significance Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) and rabbits. Outcomes will involve production of a Community Pest Plants and Animals Action Plan and will support initial action programs on each of the pests, focussing on public lands and partnered with adjoining private landholders. Progress on all activities will be monitored with results broadly distributed to the community to encourage and initiate ongoing action. CAG-1080030-1456 VIC Mallee WOOMELANG/LASC Woomelang Lascelles This project will 19,500 ELLES LANDCARE Rabbit Action implement a subsidised GROUP rabbit baiting and ripping program across the Woomelang Lascelles Landcare Group area targeting private landholders. Due to favourable conditions over the past two years, rabbit populations have exploded throughout the region. By sheer weight of numbers, these pests are having a major impact on the local flora and fauna by foraging for food and building warrens in 2012-13 vulnerable areas. 2012-13 CAG-1080297-1503 SA Eyre Peninsula PORT LINCOLN Coffin Bay Parks plant This project will bring 18,180 ABORIGINAL revegetation project. the Port Lincoln COMMUNITY Aboriginal Community COUNCIL Council (PLACC) labour hire workers to work with the Friends of Coffin Bay Parks group and NRM Aboriginal staff to re- Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) establish endemic plant species in barren and degraded areas of Coffin Bay parks. Advice indicates that rabbit and snail control are essential activities in a successful revegetation program. The PLACC staff will work with volunteers from the Friends group to identify suitable plants, collect and process seed, and carry out hand direct seeding. The PLACC staff will work with NRM Aboriginal staff to carry out the rabbit and snail control program. It is anticipated that there will be a significant skills transfer to participants within this project. CAG-1080352-1514 SA Wimmera RAINBOW AND Rainbow and District This project will control 19,500 DISTRICT Rabbit Action rabbit populations by LANDCARE GROUP implementing a subsidised rabbit baiting and ripping program in the Lake Hindmarsh region. To minimise impact the Rainbow and District Landcare Group will use best management practices particularly around areas of high environmental significance such as 2012-13 Lake Hindmarsh. 2012-13 CAG-1080356-1515 SA Corangamite VFF FARM TREE Restoration of Native This project will restore 19,990 AND LANDCARE Hut Creek east side of and rehabilitate Native ASSOCIATION Inverleigh Flora & Hut Creek, adjacent to INCORPORATED Fauna Reserve the Inverleigh Flora Fauna Reserve, by supporting landholders Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) with the removal of pest plant and animals. The G2 Landcare network will provide assistance to landholders occupying the middle reaches to control gorse, boxthorn and rabbits, before undertaking restoration work along six km of waterway. The project will remove heavy gorse and boxthorn infestations harbouring rabbits, allowing native grasslands to recover and improve productivity on adjoining farm lands. The project will be implemented through a management plan and agreed commitments between landholder and Landcare. CAG-1080448-1536 SA Mallee HOPETOUN Hopetoun Rabbit This project will 19,500 LANDCARE GROUP Action address threats to flora, INCORPORATED fauna and agriculture around the Hopetoun area resulting from the increase in rabbit numbers over the past two years. The project will minimise the impact by implementing a subsidised rabbit baiting and ripping program for land holders within the 2012-13 priority area. 2012-13 CAG-1080504-1549 SA Mallee BEULAH Beulah Rabbit Action This project will 19,500 LANDCARE GROUP address threats to flora, fauna and agriculture around the Beulah Creek catchment area directly resulting from Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) the increase in rabbit numbers. The project will minimise the impact by implementing a subsidised rabbit baiting and ripping program across the Beulah Creek catchment area, targeting private landholders. CAG-1080832-1671 SA Border Rivers QUEENSLAND Building on Successes, This project will foster 18,920 Maranoa-Balonne MURRAY-DARLING Maintaining the information sharing and COMMITTEE INC. Balance, Protecting capacity building Biodiversity within the Eukey community in the face of increased threats on biodiversity from rabbits. The project will promote greater understanding of the situation through a biodiversity survey, field days and production of extension material, aimed at the 2012-13 wider community. 2012-13 CAG-994784-1023 NSW Hawkesbury-Nepean BARTON PARK Rare and Endangered This project will deliver 16,580 GIANT TREES Australian Plants & remedial earthworks ARBORETUM Wollemi Groves and revegetation works. INCORPORATED This work will include water reticulation contour drainage erosion control, noxious weed eradication, feral animal control, planting and walking path preparation. Trees are individually fenced at the Arboretum as there are many large kangaroos on site as well as rabbits, approximately 700m of fencing is required. The area of the two groves is around 2.6 ha in the Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) overall site of 16.4 ha. Members and the public will do all the planting and fencing. Support students at Katoomba HS have already begun planting the seed and will continue planting along with Cooerwull Primary School and other schools. Students will conduct weed identification and monitoring for 18 months. Depleted and unused farmland will be rejuvenated to create two new major collections. This project will 195,800 increase native habitat and reduce the impact of vertebrate pests and Weeds of National Significance on endangered species within the Coorong and Tatiara Districts of South Australia. This will be achieved through fencing to protect listed communities and endangered species, controlling weeds, foxes and rabbits, providing technical Enhancing priority support for onground remnant native works, and enhancing COORONG DISTRICT vegetation in the Upper partnerships between 2012-13 OC13-00050 SA . COUNCIL South East stakeholders. 2012-13 OC13-00270 SA . ROYAL Reducing the impact of This project will reduce 186,912 ZOOLOGICAL vertebrate pests on a the impact of rabbits, SOCIETY OF SOUTH 1000 ha property at cats and foxes on 1000 AUSTRALIA Monarto ha of property in Monarto. The outcomes of this work will be increased regeneration Year Project ID State Region Funding recipient Project title Project description Grant (GST excl.) of habitat, revegetation and protection of EPBC Act 1999 listed plant communities and species, and building skills and knowledge within the local community. This project will protect 165,000 important corridors of threatened vegetation in the Upper South East of South Australia and the western Wimmera in Victoria. The project includes actions to reduce total grazing pressure, protect remnant corridors of Buloke Woodlands, SOUTH EAST Grey Box Grassy NATURAL Woodlands and RESOURCES Strategic biodiversity Phebalium Lowanense, MANAGEMENT corridor enhancement and manage rabbit 2012-13 OC13-00273 SA . BOARD OC13-00273 populations. This project will reduce 237,600 rabbit populations and promote regeneration and protection of threatened flora and habitat in the Central Wheatbelt of Western Australia. Management actions will include rabbit and weed DEPARTMENT OF Control rabbits and control, fire disturbance ENVIRONMENT regenerate threatened trials and translocation AND flora in the Central of threatened flora 2012-13 OC13-00439 WA . CONSERVATION Wheatbelt of WA seedlings. 2013 9,900 -14 Landcare Loxton to Bookpurnong Local Action Planning Committee Inc.