Over-reliance on waning biological controls and no assured funding might mean a resurgence of rabbits.
2B – biosecurity
Rabbits in Australia are the largest biological invasion in history, so you would think people would take little convincing of the need to keep them under control. Humans have short memories though!
The massive crash in rabbit populations that followed the release of myxomatosis in the 1950s was seen as a silver bullet and we relaxed and missed our chance to capitalise on its success. History tells us rabbits quickly developed resistance and built back up in number. Same story following the release of calicivirus in the 1990s.
Today, with over-reliance on waning biological controls, no assured funding for research into new bio-controls, and an apathy toward adopting best practice controls, yet again, we may well be staring down the barrel of the next wave of rabbits in Australia. Are we now ready to make bold, strategic decisions to stop killing and start managing our most destructive ecosystem engineer?
