THE RABBIT PEST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22444, 13 June 1936, Page 10

THE RABBIT PEST

AUSTRALIAN PROBLEM POSITION OF ARID AREAS [from our own correspondent] SYDNEY, June 5 A gloomy view of the future effect of the rabbit pest on the growth of mulga and other scrub species in the arid areas of Australia is taken by Mr. F. N. Ratcliffe, an officer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, ,in a report 011 investigations into the' soil drift problem. Although he absolves the rabbit from blame for the destruction of "bush" in the arid pastoral areas of northern South Australia —destruction, ho said, is caused by over-stocking and drought —Mr. Ratcliffe considers it is certain that the presence of the rabbit will eeal the fate of mulga and many other tree and shrub species in Australia. "As a result of the depredation of rabbits, natural regeneration by seed of the mulga has practically ceased," he reports. "The present generation of trees is visibly dying, and no seedlings are growing up to take their place. > Short of extermination of the rabbit, which cannot he hoped for, tho onlv thing which will prevent the great areas of sandy mulga scrub country from reverting ultimately to a drifting desert would be the establishment of substitute vegetation." Mr. Ratcliffe said that tho position of tho rabbit in the arid regions seemed impregnable. After each rocuncnt "plague" drought conditions reduced tho numbers almost to vanishing point, vet this minute residuum of hardy individuals —many of which survived without access Lo watei was sufficient to form the basis of the next hugo and rapid increase. Nothing short of complete extermination could have any lasting effect, and complete extermination was unthinkable. There seemed to ho 110 escaping the conclusion that pastoral settlements in the arid areas must adjust themselves to the continued presence of the rabbits, although it might be possible to evolve more effective methods of local control than were available at present. In his reference to the soil drift problem Mr. Ratcliffe draws the conclusion 'that science can do little or nothing to check the drift of soil, which is making desert country of many of the arid pastoral regions, until the stocking of outback country is brought down to a "permanent" basis, and until it is put in equilibrium with the vegetation.