Welcome to the very first edition of our quarterly newsletter for the National Feral Rabbit Management Coordination Program. 

I'm Heidi Kleinert, the National Feral Rabbit Management Coordinator, at the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. My role is to work alongside community, government and industry stakeholders to support the increased adoption of best practice rabbit management and reduce the devastating impact of rabbits across Australia.

I'm a specialist in engaging people in effective, coordinated environmental programs and have delivered rabbit management programs across both public and private land. I'm particularly interested in working with community, government and industry groups to talk about the rabbit problem and co-design solutions that focus on training, partnerships and long-term landscape change.

Rabbits are everywhere. We're seeing a rise in populations on farm, in backyards, community parks, sports ovals, bush reserves, roadsides and even cemeteries. If we are to solve the issue, we need everyone committed to tackling the problem. This will provide protection for our unique native species, agriculture, cultural heritage sites, backyards and our shared community assets.

Knowledge is power in the fight against invasive species, and I'm thrilled to be launching this first edition of our newsletter to help provide information on best practice rabbit control, get inspired to start a rabbit program and highlight the great work happening in our community to manage rabbits. 

I hope you enjoy this first edition. 

- Heidi Kleinert, National Feral Rabbit Management Coordinator

Best Practice Rabbit Management (BPRM) or integrated rabbit control uses different methods to control rabbits, but in a specific order and at the right time of the year. This helps you manage rabbit populations more effectively by targeting their behaviour and weaknesses during different seasons.

The most effective times to implement rabbit control is late summer and early autumn. The combination of biological control (the calicivirus) and tough environmental conditions (a hot summer) adds stress to rabbit populations. There are lower breeding numbers and food sources which makes this time of year more cost-effective. 

Researchers and land managers have spent decades testing the effectiveness of control methods to get the best outcome. Through these trials, they have made the mistakes, so that we don't have to.

Following each step in a BPRM program ensures that you are using a combination of techniques strategically, allowing all rabbits to be exposed to some form of control. Below provides a brief overview of the steps you can take throughout the year to manage rabbits.

Summer/Autumn: 

1. Identify why rabbits are a problem. What impact are they having?

2. Assess the rabbit problem: Locate burrows and estimate rabbit numbers. Use a spotlighting survey, the RabbitScan App or survey the damage to vegetation and rabbit abundance using a tool such as the Rapid Rabbit Assessment Guide.

3. Work together: Talk with your neighbours to plan a coordinated program together.

4. Baiting: Apply bait across the whole area where rabbits are active, to reduce the rabbit population by 90-98% and slow re-use of breeding burrows. Monitor bait uptake to ensure effectiveness.

Autumn/Winter: 

1. Warren modification: e.g. ripping or destroying every burrow to stop any opportunity of burrows being used for shelter or rearing of young.

2. Follow up and maintain low numbers: repeat a program of further baiting, fumigation or burrow modification to maintain gains and protect your investment.

Jobs All Year Round

• Clean up your property

• Remove rubbish piles

• Remove woody weeds

• Undertake monitoring: e.g.

              - measure changes in burrow activity (number of opened or active burrows).

              - record rabbit numbers.

              - undertake spotlight counts (rabbits seen per km).

              - take photo points to monitor damage to plants and record if there is regeneration.

It is your responsibility to be aware of your legal obligations and obtain the necessary permits to undertake rabbit management. Be aware of impacts on native wildlife and vegetation, cultural and historical places and waterways, as well as underground infrastructure.

Rabbit management will vary depending on where you live, urban or rural, state and territory. If you do change the sequence of the control methods and timing, the results will vary.

Find more information here.

Rabbit-Free Australia and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions held their Rabbit R&D Webinar on 19 March 2025.

This year, the focus was on gene-drive technology with the aim to help people understand this rapidly developing technology. The technology will require development time, investment and social licence before it is available.

The technology is a reminder to us that there is no silver bullet when it comes to rabbit management and traditional methods of control are still required.

Heidi Kleinert, National Feral Rabbit Management Coordinator, had the opportunity to present at the webinar. Videos of the webinar presentations are available below:

• Prof Paul Thomas: Gene drive technology

• Dr Tanja Strive & Dr Sarah Topfer: Gene drive for rabbit control

• Dr Kevin Oh & Dr Heng Lin Yeap: Gene driven dispersal

• Dr Tanja Strive & Dr Aditi Mankad: Risk management

• Nigel Roberts & Heidi Kleinert: Best Practice rabbit control

The PestSmart website has a section dedicated to plan, manage and improve rabbit management.

The website is due for an upgrade. We would like to hear from you and know your opinion on how it could be improved, what you like, what you don't and what information is missing.

Take our 4 minute survey here and tell us what you think. Survey closes 30 May 2025.

As the National Feral Rabbit Management Coordinator, Heidi plans to meet with people working in rabbit management programs. In March, Craig Magnussen, Chair of Rabbit Free Australia and CEO of Darling Downs-Morten Rabbit Board and Heidi took the opportunity to visit some groups working in the rabbit system in Victoria. Heidi talks about their visit below. 

Stop 1: Bellarine collaboration. We met with Liddy Neville and Vicki Strachan to talk about community led programs in the Bellarine Region. They shared their ideas on boosting access to rabbit information and equipment. We also discussed how collaborations between community, local government and First Nations help everyone.

Stop 2: Warrnambool masterclass. We visited the Victorian Rabbit Action Network mentors who were hosting their annual bootcamp and new masterclass program in Warrnambool. The programs aim to train the next generation of rabbit experts across community, government and industry. The mentors share their knowledge on rabbit biology and how to implement best practices that ensure long-term benefits that don't waste time or money. Participants have the opportunity to share their experiences on what's working and not working in their programs and as a collective work on solving any issues together.

Stop 3: Agriculture Victoria. We met with Nigel Roberts, Leading Biosecurity Officer from Agriculture Victoria, who helped develop the 'Rabbit control in Victoria' video series. Nigel is determined to communicate information in an easy-to-understand format to help land managers understand the steps involved to effectively control rabbits.

Stop 4: Barwon Park - ground zero. We couldn't drive past Barwon Park, Winchelsea without taking a look. Barwon Park has a significant historical connection to the introduction of rabbits in Australia. In 1859, Thomas Austin, the owner of Barwon Park, released 24 wild European rabbits on his estate. The supply of rabbits was intended to provide a hunting sport but led to a massive ecological and agricultural impact as the rabbit population exploded across Australia. A special thank you to the National Trust of Australia volunteers who gave us a tour of the grounds and shared their knowledge.

On 3 May, Heidi Kleinert joined forces with the National Feral Cat and Fox Management team, Gillian Basnett and Thomas Nelson, to attend Gippsland's first ever Weed and Pest Festival.

With well over 500 people attending, this hugely successful community event aimed to connect those with weed and pest problems with the people and organisations who have the pest control solutions.

There were engaging presentations, demonstrations and products for sale from groups and organisations who are tackling the Gippsland pest and weed problem first hand.

Heidi was able to speak to many locals about their rabbit issues and provide them with some practical answers and PestSmart resources. The most common questions asked were:

• How do I control rabbits?

• How do I stop rabbits from living under my house?

• Who is responsible for rabbit control at my place?

• I need help finding a rabbit control contractor, where do I start?

• How do I talk to my neighbour about rabbits?

Rabbits were a very hot topic at the Festival. Heidi wasn't the only person talking about rabbit management at the event - she had some great support from other stallholders including Aarron Stephens from Bass Coast Landcare/Victorian Rabbit Action Network, Brad Blake from ProCon, Clinton Yorke from Feralex and Agriculture Victoria staff members. These organisations were also sharing their knowledge on practical rabbit management solutions, monitoring and current community support programs.

Congratulations to Jo Kurpershoek, Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network Facilitator and her amazing team for planning and delivering a great event. The event serves as a great example of community action and to how to elevate awareness about local challenges and link people to solutions. This event was supported by funding from the Victorian Government through the Partnerships Against Pests Program.

Peel Harvey Biosecurity Group (PHBG) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to controlling declared pests across the Peel-Harvey region of Western Australia. They work closely with local members of the community and government agencies to implement effective pest management strategies, run annual programs targeting specific invasive species and equip landholders with knowledge and equipment to manage weeds and other pests.

On 6 March 2025, the PHBG hosted a screening of the ABC show "Eat The Invaders" in Pinjarra. The event included a panel of experts who engaged in discussions regarding innovative, sustainable, and sometimes controversial solutions for managing invasive species.

Teele Hooper-Worrell, the Executive Officer of the Biosecurity Group, stated that rabbit populations in the area are continuing to rise. Sharing best practice management information at community events like these are a great way to share the message on how important managing invasive species, like rabbits, is.

While rural areas have been battling rabbits for decades, the new frontline has emerged where urban sprawl meets the countryside, throwing up new challenges for all.

The event was a valuable opportunity to engage the community. The 27 attendees were able to discuss management strategies for controlling the rabbit population and receive answers to all of their questions.

The evening also featured short video messages from industry professionals, who shared their top three tips for effective rabbit management.

The video message shared from Heidi Kleinert, was 'Be informed, be committed, and work with your neighbours'.

In February 2025, Heidi joined Connecting Country, a not-for-profit community group based in the Mt Alexander region of Victoria.

Like many NRM organisations, Connecting Country work with landholders and community groups to restore landscapes across the region on both public and private land. They are delivering local education programs to help raise awareness and motivate people to make a landscape change.

Here are three things they are doing to address the rabbit issue in their community that could be replicated by other groups and organisations:

1. Host a Rabbit Control Field Day. Connecting Country invited guest speaker Tim Bloomfield, Victorian Rabbit Action Network mentor to discuss the biology and ecology of rabbits and their devastating impact on our landscape. The group then saw firsthand what steps you need to take to eradicate rabbits.

2. Partner with TAFE. Connecting Country are partnering with a local TAFE to deliver a subsidised Agricultural Chemical Skill Set two-day course for Landcare groups and local landholders. The course will provide training in chemical use, storage and handling and once successfully complete, people may be eligible to apply for an Agricultural Chemical User Permit (ACUP) through Agriculture Victoria to purchase and use some restricted chemicals used in rabbit control.

3. Resources for Groups. Connecting Country provide the latest information to help locals engage with their property, the local landscape and community. They also provide equipment for use.

Find out more about Connecting Country and their resources here. 

If you're part of a community group seeking funding support, here are a few grant programs currently open or soon to be opened.

NSW

The Environmental Restoration and Rehabilitation grants program supports community and government organisations to achieve lasting, positive impacts on the NSW environment.

The program is now open, closing at 5pm on Monday 5 June 2025.

SA

The Future Drought Fund program has recently been announced to support drought affected farmers across South Australia.

$3.1 million has been allocated to assist with reduction of pest species. Onground rabbit management programs will be part of this in 2025.

More information on how landholders can access funding will be announced soon.

TAS

Expressions of Interest are always open for Landcare Tasmania to support member's important onground programs.

VIC

Partnerships Against Pests grants program aims to improve the capacity of land managers to manage established weeds and pest animals on their land.

The grants help community groups to deliver workshops, resources and community engagement initiatives, build community capacity, and promote collaboration between neighbours and communities.

Round 4 is expected to be announced soon.

Australia-wide

The Ian Potter Foundation: The Environment program supports ambitious and transformative applied conservation initiatives, i.e. on-ground nature protection and restoration.

Wettenhall Environment Trust: Providing support for people undertaking projects that will make a positive difference to the natural living environment, in land, sea or air, rural or urban. The Trust support grassroots organisations and individuals, and academics who are working with on-ground community groups.

Indigenous Rangers Program Round 2: Supports First Nations people to manage Country in accordance with the objectives of Traditional Owners, and to build career pathways in cultural and natural resource management. The program is now open, closing at 2pm on Monday 19 May 2025.

Geelong Landcare Rabbit Management Workshop: 17 May 2025, Inverleigh, Vic

Pest Animal and Weed Symposium 2025 (PAWS Conference): 19-22 May 2025, Gladstone, Qld. 

National NRM Conference: 8-12 September 2025, Cairns, Qld. 

National Landcare Conference: 21-24 September 2025, Gold Coast, Qld 

Got 5-10 minutes? Then check out this series of videos around rabbit control, developed by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. 

The series covers topics such as poison baiting for rabbit control and rabbit warren fumigation.

This glovebox guide is part of the PestSmart Toolkit for Rabbits, produced by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions. It provides current and general information on best practice rabbit management for land managers, pest animal officers and others involved in the management of rabbits.

RabbitSCAN is a website and smartphone app that allows people to record pest animal sightings, the damage they cause and control actions in their local area.

It's free and easy to use, so why not try it out? Download the app here. 

Are you working on a rabbit program and want to share your story with others. Or maybe you have some photos that show the impact of rabbits on our environment?

Contact rabbits@invasives.com.au as we would like to hear from you!

Want to find out more about feral rabbit control? Visit PestSmart or contact rabbits@invasives.com.au.

This project is managed by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions and proudly supported by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Rabbit Free Australia and Darling Downs - Moreton Rabbit Board.

The Centre for Invasive Species Solutions acknowledges the continuing connection of First Nations Peoples to culture, country and community in Australia and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. 

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