Rural
4 December, 2024
New position to tackle rabbit pests
The Centre for Invasive Species Solutions welcomes the appointment of a new National Rabbit Management Coordinator to tackle one of Australia’s most costly vertebrate pests.
Heidi Kleinert will take up the newly created position to join Greg Mifsud, National Wild Dog Management Coordinator and Gillian Basnett, National Feral Cat and Fox Management Coordinator at the Centre from next month.
Heidi will work alongside a wide range of stakeholders across government, industry and the community to support the increased adoption of best practice management of the pest.
Welcoming the appointment, Andreas Glanznig, the Centre’s Chief Executive said, “Heidi’s appointment confirms the importance of the need for national leadership in vertebrate pest management. This role will raise awareness of the importance of wild rabbit management and collaborate with communities of practice and networks across Australia to bolster their control efforts.”
“In her new role, Heidi will lead enhancements to the PestSmart rabbit toolkit and work with key stakeholders to review nationally agreed codes of practice and standard operating procedures.”
Heidi comes fresh from her long-standing role as Victorian Rabbit Action Network Facilitator while bringing a wealth of experience in project management and community engagement.
Rabbits pose an estimated $197 million hit to agricultural productivity each year while acting as a key threat to 322 nationally listed species by damaging native plants, competing for food and shelter and contributing to soil erosion and slope instability by digging and burrowing.
Impacted threatened species include a range of wattle species and spider orchids, and birds and animals such as the Malleefowl, Orange-bellied parrot, various threatened wallabies and marsupial rats.
The role was announced in October as a collaboration with the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Rabbit Free Australia, Darling Downs Moreton Rabbit Board and NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
