Central Otago is New Zealand's most rabbit-prone area, and good planning and neighbourly collaboration are crucial to cutting rabbit numbers, Jeff Donaldson, the Otago Regional Council's director, environmental monitoring and operations, says.
Recent dry weather, ideal for breeding, has caused problems for rabbit control.
Rabbits liked short, dry grass. Where land was irrigated, they were less likely to establish.
Boosting community awareness of the rabbit threat and working closely with neighbours to take collaborative action were key points in the fight against rabbits.
One such approach taken by landowners, both pastoral farmers and smaller scale landholders, near Luggate last year had shown what could be achieved by a neighbourhood approach to rabbit control.
