Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00031:body:0:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00031
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 14160–17254

(Cooke 1993; Cooke 2012a). Integrated control measures must seek to: use a range of control techniques (e.g. poisoning and warren destruction); target a range of pest species (e.g. rabbit control activities should also focus on the reduction in foxes, feral cats and weeds); and seek to control rabbits across neighbouring land tenures.
In order to effectively manage rabbits and maximise control efforts, control efforts should be:
       * targeted to protect sites where rabbits pose the greatest threat to biodiversity
       * undertaken in a strategic manner to take advantage of the environmental conditions and other complementary activities, and
       * monitored to ensure that objectives are met, and allow management options to be adapted to changing circumstances.
There are a range of control measures available for the management of rabbits. These include poison baiting, biological control agents, warren ripping and fumigation, fencing, harbour removal, and shooting. None of these techniques should be relied upon in isolation.
Research is continuing into improved control measures including biocontrol technology, particularly through three projects run by the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (Invasive Animals CRC) — the RHD Boost, RHD Accelerator and Bioprospecting projects (Cox et al. 2013). Further information on control measures and the Invasive Animals CRC projects can be found in the supporting Background document (Department of the Environment and Energy 2016a).

Objectives and actions

The goal of this TAP is to minimise the impact of rabbit competition and land degradation on biodiversity in Australia and its territories by:
       * protecting affected threatened species and ecological communities, and
       * preventing further species and ecological communities from becoming threatened.
To achieve this goal, the plan has four main objectives:

      1. Strategically manage rabbits at the landscape scale and suppress rabbit populations to densities below threshold levels in identified priority areas

    2.       Improve knowledge and understanding of the impact of rabbits and their interactions with other species and ecological processes

    3.       Improve the effectiveness of rabbit control programs, and

    4.       Increase engagement of, and awareness by, the community of the environmental impacts of rabbits and the need for integrated control.
Each objective is accompanied by a set of actions, which, when implemented, will help to achieve the goal of the plan. Performance indicators have been established for each objective. Progress will be assessed by determining the extent to which the performance indicators have been met.
The sections below provide background on each objective, followed by a table listing the actions required to meet the objective. Nineteen actions have been developed to meet the four objectives.
Priorities for each action are categorised as 'very high', 'high' or 'medium'. Also, each action has been assigned a timeframe within which the outcome could be achieved once the action has