Victorian rabbit action program to receive prestigious UN award

The inclusive nature of an Agriculture Victoria initiative to manage rabbits is set to be recognised by a prestigious United Nations Public Service Award.

The Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN) was founded in 2014 to provide an integrated and community-led approach to managing the European rabbit, one of Victoria’s most invasive species.

The program aims to provide a long-term commitment across government, community groups, generations and property boundaries.

“We recognised that actions taken in isolation were having a limited impact as rabbits know no boundaries, and the need for a partnership to approach the problem,” says Agriculture Victoria Program Manager Michael Reid. “This program brings together a diverse range of perspectives of people affected by the problem to ensure the issue is addressed collectively by working together.”

The VRAN acts as a facilitating institution that brings the community together and provides a forum for individuals to highlight their concerns. By building learning and mentoring networks and delivering workshops on best-practice rabbit control, the program facilitates information sharing and network development.

It also occasionally provides funding grants to support community learning, innovation and rabbit management.

“It is really important to empower the community so that people who provide the solution are involved in the decision making,” says VRAN Chair Gerald Leach. “They own the problem and the outcome.”

VRAN has reached out to approximately 6,000 people on both public and private land since its establishment.

“More than 80 percent of participants have made changes in the way they manage rabbits, and they are collaborating more across their boundaries with neighbours to control rabbits,” says Mr Reid.

The program has been recognised by the United Nations (UN) for bringing together a diverse range of perspectives from those affected by rabbits, ranging from land managers and farmers to scientists and government officials.

“It’s inspiring to see a strong partnership between government and community tackling such a complex issue that affects both our agriculture sector and the broader environment,” says Victorian Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes.

Mr Reid will travel to Azerbaijan to receive the UN award, which recognises programs that deliver “more inclusive and equitable services to leave no one behind”.

By the end of this year, the VRAN is expected to reach 10,000 people and Agriculture Victoria is now considering how the network’s shared decision-making and responsibility model can be applied to managing other invasive species across the state.

You can find out more about the VRAN’s current projects here.