Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00031:body:0:p7
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00031
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 17008–20003

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 commenced. Timeframes are categorised as short term (i.e. within three years), medium term (i.e. within three to five years) or long term (i.e. five years or beyond).

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

As the eradication of rabbits from all of mainland Australia and Tasmania is not feasible, attention needs to be directed to the management and control of populations to reduce their impact on biodiversity. However, in order to efficiently and effectively manage rabbits, control programs need to be strategically designed and implemented. This includes the consideration of a number of different factors which can influence the success or failure, the effort required, and costs of control programs. The factors may include (among others):

       * identification of threatened species and habitats for which rabbit control activities can provide the most benefit
       * wider, community-based coordination of actions, including on-ground control on private properties, public land and in urban areas to provide control across wider areas to slow re-invasion. Noting that, for the purposes of this threat abatement plan, a greater focus should be on sites of higher conservation value
       * incorporation of economic decision-model analyses to maximise cost-benefit outcomes of control programs
       * identification of other land management activities such as pest animal control and weed management programs for integrated control and to reduce unintended consequences, and
       * environmental site conditions including topography, land type, vegetation and climatic conditions; and their potential influence on control activities.

Control programs also need to take into account the number of rabbits per hectare. Several studies have found that if there are more than 0.5 rabbits per hectare, native species can be severely impacted (Mutze et al. 2008; Bird et al. 2012; Cooke 2012a). For example, when rabbit numbers are greater than 0.5 rabbits per hectare, the recruitment and regeneration of plants are inhibited, causing many of these species to become locally extinct (Mutze et al. 2008; Bird et al. 2012; Cooke 2012a).

The identification and consideration of threatened species and habitats is another critical consideration to ensure the survival of the species in that area. Removal of invasive species such as rabbits has been found to have significant benefits for native species such as reversing local population declines (Mutze et al. 2008; Bird et al. 2012; Pedler et al. 2016). Management actions for invasive species should therefore focus on removing these threats, as well as