1162nd General Monthly Meeting
An Australian Ecological Blind-spot: Rabbit Impact on Native Plants and Animals
Dr Brian Cooke, Invasive Animals CRC, University of Canberra
Date: Wednesday, 2nd July, 2008
Time: 6:30 for 7:00 pm
Venue: Conference Room 1, Darlington Centre, City Road
ABSTRACT
Introduced wild rabbits have long been regarded as a major almost insoluble economic problem in Australia, requiring the unusual step of introducing successive biological control agents, such as myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhage disease. Despite this however, the rabbits' impact on native vegetation has been poorly understood, though CSIRO scientists have worked on rabbits for over 50 years. It is now clear that rabbits compete directly with many of our native animals such as the grey and red kangaroos and common wombats. It takes less than 1 rabbit per hectare to completely inhibit regeneration of many tree and shrub species in natural woodlands.
Enquiries: Prof. P.A. Williams
email: P.Williams@uws.edu.au
or phone the Society – details on Introduction page.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Dr Brian Cooke has worked on the management of pest animals for over 40 years. Much of this work was done within the Animal and Plant Control Commission in South Australia before he transferred to the CSIRO. He has also spent time working in other environments including the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands and 2 years in the equatorial Islands. He now works with the Invasive Animals CRC in the University of Canberra, where he is carrying out an industry-funded strategic review of the long-term prospects of rabbit haemorrhagic disease as a biological control agent.