What does it cost to do nothing about rabbits?
Costs associated with rabbit work in Australia
It takes less than one rabbit per hectare to prevent the successful regeneration of many native trees and shrubs.
Before the release of calicivirus, rabbit-induced production losses in the Australian wool industry were about $130 million per year. It was estimated that reduced rabbit populations as a result of calicivirus would increase agricultural production by $600 million annually, including about $300 million for the wool sector, $150 million for cattle, $80 million for cropping and $70 million for sheep meat.
Recent estimates have valued the cumulative benefit of myxomatosis and calicivirus to Australia’s pastoral industries at about $96 billion over the last 60 years. Although calicivirus has effectively reduced the impact of rabbits across many parts of Australia, it is unlikely to keep populations down over the long term.
The impact of rabbits on agriculture and conservation will continue to grow, unless continuous effort is put into long-term, integrated rabbit control.
Rabbits can cause damage by:
- overgrazing native and sown pastures, leading to loss of plant biodiversity and reduced crop yields
- competing with native animals and domestic livestock for food and shelter, increasing grazing pressure and lowering the land’s carrying capacity
- building warrens, causing land degradation and erosion
- preventing or inhibiting the regeneration of native shrubs and trees by grazing
- increasing and spreading invasive weeds,
- acting as a food source for introduced predators, which can lead to increased lamb losses and disease prevalence, and a decrease in small mammal diversity.
All of these impacts eventually lead to higher management costs, loss of productivity, and huge financial losses for Australia’s farmers, as well as other land managers (eg national parks).
Costs -
See https://www.theleader.com.au/story/7666629/the-86-billion-bunny-bounty/
Marian Macdonald, National rural property writer
"Controlling rabbits with viruses has saved Australian agriculture $81.8 billion but the pest still costs the industry about $206 million every year."
"You only have to watch some of the old black and white footage from the 1950s to see how destructive rabbits can be in large numbers," he said.
"They are absolute eating machines, consuming around 15 per cent of their body weight a day, and cost Australian agriculture around $206 million every year."
Rabbits can begin breeding at four months old and, if conditions are right, produce about five litters a year, creating a new 5060-strong family.
Report on Current Situation
See https://invasives.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Benefits-of-Rabbit-Biocontrol-web.pdf