Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia is calling for the appointment of a national rabbit management coordinator and the development of a National Action Plan for rabbits. It is part of a policy statement released by the Foundation and circulated to parliamentarians around the country. More secure funding for rabbit control research is another of their priorities, along with a call for rabbit control to be embedded in drought and bush-fire response programs.
Decades of research and rabbit control programs have had a huge impact and generated massive benefits to the environment and production, but rabbits still persist and cause harm. There is also the latent risk that they will rebound as the effectiveness of biological controls wane, and it takes many decades of research to develop, trial and gain approval for new bio-controls.
‘More secure funding together with national leadership and coordination will give rabbits the attention they warrant, and comprehensive programs would be put in place to stop rabbits becoming major issues rather than throwing resources at them once they have bred up’, said Foundation Chair, Prof. Wayne Meyer.
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