Successive biological controls for rabbits have been the most important factor in the recovery of sand dunes along the Coorong in South Australia.
Researchers from Flinders University have recorded peaks in vegetation regrowth and dune stabilisation coinciding with various biological controls, ranging from myxomatosis (1952) and the rabbit flea (1968), to RHDV (in 1995 and 2018).
‘We have to make sure that the bunnies don’t come back – because we now know what the consequences will be. They are the trigger to vegetation destruction in the dunes.’ said Professor Hesp from the university.
For more information, see the paper by Moulton et al (2018) in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, or the summary by Scimex.
Photo: Scimex