European wild rabbits have caused severe economic and ecological losses in many areas of the world where they have been introduced by humans - in many cases for hunting purposes. Consequently, conservationists and farmers use a range of management practices to eradicate or reduce rabbits and avoid damage to natural vegetation or crops. Scientists have carefully analyzed the effects of such management and are constantly investigating new ways to control the species. By contrast, where rabbits are native (such as the Mediterranean Basin and southern Iberian Peninsula) most managers, conservationists, and scientists have focused their efforts on enhancing rabbit populations following severe reductions due to myxomatosis in the 1950s and RHD in the 1980s; little information has been gathered on rabbit control, apart from hunting, despite rabbits causing damage to high-value crops. After briefly outlining the different strategies used in Australia, England and Spain to manage rabbits, our main goal in this workshop is to generate a spectrum of management options, and open a forum of discussion on the best potential options for rabbit management in Spain to meet the needs of conservation, hunting and crop protection.

Resumen del Workshop celebrado en el XXXth International Union of Game Biologists and Perdix XIII, celebrados en Barcelona (España) del 5 al 9 de septiembre de 2011.

Peer Reviewed