Rabbits

Rabbits are one of the most abundant, and economically and environmentally damaging invasive species in Australia, costing the agricultural industry alone $206 million dollars annually. 

The impacts of rabbits are wide-ranging.

Rabbit warrens cause land erosion and soil degradation, to the detriment of native plant and animal species, in addition to property damage and livestock injury. Overgrazing destroys native plants, while rabbits are in competition with both native animals and livestock for available food and resources.

Previous methods of biocontrol, such as the myxoma virus, have proven effective in reducing rabbit numbers, however since its introduction in the 1950’s, natural selection for resistance has rendered the virus less lethal. Gene drives would prove a more permanent alternate method of biocontrol, aimed at suppressing or even eliminating the Australian rabbit population once and for all.