South Gippsland Landcare Network-Bunurong Coast Fox and Rabbit Control Project

There is little doubt that foxes and rabbits are two of Australia’s worst invasive pests. Foxes cause livestock and economic losses for farmers and are a major threat to native species. Rabbits detrimentally impact landscapes and biodiversity through causing soil erosion, overgrazing vegetation and competing with other animals for food. In South Gippsland, the natural coastal and agricultural landscapes along the Bunurong coast are experiencing these adverse impacts. 

In 2018-19, the ‘Enhancing Biodiversity at the Bunurong Coastal Landscape’ funded project commenced, with South Gippsland Landcare Network (SGLN) and their project partners (West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Parks Victoria, Trust for Nature and Bass Coast Landcare Network) actively addressing the problem of foxes and rabbits. 

Now in the project’s third year, SGLN and pest animal contractors continue to work with private landholders and public land managers across 16,000ha of land between Venus Bay and Walkerville. Pest animal contractors are tackling foxes using 1080 baits and soft-jaw traps. In February this year, a European rabbit specific-calicivirus strain was released by contractors through treated carrots. These methods are part of an ongoing, integrated approach to effectively control foxes and rabbits at a landscape scale.