Category: Community

Malcolm Fraser infamously reminded us that life is not meant to be easy, indeed each generation considers their lot hard. After some reflection it occurs that we do want life to get easier.

That’s what your family and forebears worked for and it is what you’re doing for your children, learning and working to make life different for them. Ours is a co-operative way of life, we elect our representatives to work for and on our behalf. It’s their job to direct the servants of the public to help us get things done that benefit the community and the catchment. Where farmers and town’s people put in their share reasonably, government can meet halfway. After years of working on the land, waterways and catchments we have this chance now. For now is the best or maybe the last chance. The work of others means we have the knowledge to remove Australia’s most costly pest – the rabbit – and be in charge of what plant species grows and survives on country.

Over 50 years of research proves that only by kicking the rabbit out can ecosystems recover. Just a rabbit per three hectares can stop natural regeneration in most landscapes in your state. All of the tree planting schemes, ever done pale in comparison with rabbit reduction. The returns from implementing effective rabbit control based off warren destruction are great; every dollar invested, ten comes back. Ten million dollars invested can return $100m for Victoria. The best efforts of farm and conservation managers will come to nought without effective rabbit control.

Lives are meant to get easier.

Our rabbit control story has been ongoing … forever. In ‘the old days’ it was poison, spotlight, fumigate … every year, year after year! In the early 90s the tide began to change. We developed and implemented a broad scale, integrated approach that covered six landcare groups in our area – a total of 93 000 ha. To do this our community established a collaborative of the six groups. We called ourselves The Granite Creeks Project.

The community led integrated control program was developed by our Committee of Management. We decided to employ a fulltime Education Officer. This was a critical part of our early and ongoing success. The role was to actively educate our community by attending landcare meetings, contacting agencies, making site visits to individual and groups of landholders, publishing articles in local papers, building partnerships … we even featured in The Australian Geographic.

Often, the best things that can happen are unplanned … enter the 1995 RHDV impact. We were chosen as one of 17 data collection sites across Victoria. Our spotlight transect has been continuous from 1996 to 2017 … 22 years of data. Our control program has been in place for more than 25 years and continues every year … so what is the proof of success?

Rabbit counts for the 18 km transect are down from 1070 rabbits in 1996 to 8 in 2016. Cost to government and community is down to one tenth of 1996 expenditure. Land mangers have more time for other activities. Our current funding is in the order of $15 000 … because this is essentially all that is needed to maintain our previous investment and gains.

Some reasons for our ongoing success are that the program is landscape wide, it is community developed and community driven.

Following on from the large Field Days, four of us tackled the popular Market venues setting up Rabbit Control Information Stands at the Metung Market on two occasions late last year, and the Kings Cove Twilight Market this summer. Once again we provided information show-bags for the public, pictorial displays and a variety of specific information on Rabbit Control methods. We encouraged people to use Rabbit Scan and record their sightings, or download the app. These educational stands proved very popular with many people chatting and asking questions. Some had heard of the forthcoming release of the RHDV K5 release, many were interested in the methods of transmission. Most were local people living in relatively new housing subdivisions. Many advised they had a rabbit problem, but hardly any did anything about the problem themselves, they just let it be!

We found good numbers attended these markets and the public were certainly interested in talking to us. Again they saw no need to get involved; it was someone else’s problem, and they hoped someone would fix.

Being a member of Landcare for many years we formed a Rabbit Control sub-Committee within our Nicholson Group and having gained a Grant we focussed on a major Rabbit Control Program along the East Gippsland Rail Trail with extensive works being undertaken in a team effort over several years. Initial monitoring indicated that the problem was extensive, the undergrowth thick along many parts of the selected section of Trail, and the work ahead arduous. This didn’t deter the stoic members and having nominated a “leader of the pack” for on ground works plans were soon underway. Much monitoring, clearing of undergrowth and removal of rabbit harbour was essential. We saw a need to engage the services of a young contractor to do much of the initial clearing with assistance from Landcare Members. GPS warren recording was a great help in mapping and planning the best methods of rabbit control. Cameras were also set up in several locations. Due to the type of area, existing plantations and terrain we found that methods had to be confined to fumigation of warrens. This was not an area we could follow up with Ripping.

Many small properties abutted the Rail Trail and by talking with these landholders we were able to offer assistance in reducing rabbit numbers on these properties. During the Project we conducted two Community Forums the first early in the project was designed to educated the community about Rabbits, the life cycle, how quickly numbers increase, the various methods which can be used, and the need to all “get on board” and “do your bit” to assist in reducing numbers. We were fortunate to be able to attract some excellent guest presenters for these educational programs. We worked well together in partnership with Contractors, other agencies, the Rail Trail Committee and a positive result was achieved. Monitoring continued. We all know, Rabbit Control needs to be on-going, there is a need for sufficient funds and manpower to continue, and it must be a concerted effort, everyone needs to get on board and keep going!

A second Community Forum was held as a follow up to convey our findings with excellent reports being given by Presenters including an extensive report from our young Contractor. We endeavoured to make these Forums attractive for people to attend by providing a B.B.Q and refreshments with catering supplied by Landcare members. Throughout the project we found tremendous cooperation between everyone, all worked as a team with much happy interaction.