Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00031:body:0:p17
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2017L00031
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 52273–55345

has reduced the general awareness of rabbits as a problem, which has often resulted in diminished support in the community for ongoing rabbit research and control (Williams et al. 1995; Cox et al. 2013). Fewer government officials with rabbit control responsibilities has also reduced the opportunities for direct public engagement and awareness raising.
As a step towards engaging stakeholders and raising their awareness of the impacts caused by rabbits, educational material (e.g. manuals and videos on monitoring impacts and control techniques) has been developed. However, effectively collaborating with the community so that  land managers get the skills necessary to recognise environmental impacts of rabbits (particularly at low levels) and be able to undertake effective management still needs further development and ongoing effort. This should include learning from communication techniques used by effective local groups.  In addition to this, different audiences will need to be engaged via different methods and emphasis will need to be placed on the benefits of individual and group contributions.
Williams et al. (1995) and Adams (2014) found that for groups to successfully engage in the management of rabbit control, there needs to be:
      * a high degree of local community understanding of the nature and extent of rabbit damage
      * a respected rabbit expert for the local community to go to
      * group reinforcement through peer pressure and good communication
      * clear, identifiable and shared goals
      * synchronisation of control efforts, and
      * strong support from local and state pest management authorities.

Key actions for Objective 4 include ensuring better communication, engagement and awareness with and between land managers on the threat of rabbits to native species and other ecological processes, and how the use of integrated management methods can further reduce rabbit numbers. Successful rabbit management relies heavily on community understanding and adoption of best practice rabbit management principles. Achieving successful rabbit management relies heavily on community engagement and, to bring about any level of change, authorities need to engage with the particular community to understand the underlying values and behaviours of those land managers. Only then will they be able to stimulate change. Experienced community groups can assist others in this process.
Action 4.1 seeks to develop further training programs to help land managers (particularly supervisors and those planning local and regional programs) to evaluate and adopt control methods appropriate for local/regional conditions, and determine in what circumstances and when they should be used. This should include an assessment of any unintended consequences of a control program, such as predators switching from taking rabbits to native animals. These training programs should provide land managers with the skills to recognise an increase in rabbit populations, prior to substantial damage being caused (see Cooke 2012a). Training