The Dune Conservation Foundation defends the rabbit

Region – Rabbits in the dunes are not well. Where ecologists in the first half of the last century still spoke of a veritable plague of rabbits in the dunes, it is now necessary to look hard to discover the last rabbit. Nature is suffering, says the Dune Conservation Foundation.

Rabbits are not native to the Dutch dunes, it is often said. But they have lived there since the 14th century and perform a useful function in the dunes. A dune area with many rabbits is often also a dune area with high biodiversity. The rabbit was once present throughout Europe, but after the last ice age, only in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. From there the species spread to much of Europe in the Middle Ages, and later also to Australia and New Zealand.

The first mentions of rabbits in the Netherlands and Flanders date back to the 13th century. Rabbits were kept for consumption and hunting in a “waranda”, an enclosed area. But the escaped rabbits did surprisingly well in the wild. The dune area was soon conquered by the escaped rabbits.

Useful animals

By grazing, rabbits keep vegetation short and species-rich, herb-rich vegetation is created. Digging holes and holes brings fresh, sometimes calcareous sand to the surface, which creates all sorts of environmental differences in the dunes. As a result, all sorts of growth opportunities arise for different plant species.

rabbit disease

The first blow to rabbits came in the 1950s with the introduction of myxomatosis. This is a viral disease to which European rabbits in particular are very susceptible. This virus originated in South America where it is a fairly mild disease for the rabbits that live there. The disease was deliberately introduced to Australia in the 1950s to control rabbit plague. In 1952 the virus appeared in Europe and within a few years the whole continent, including Britain, had been infected.

After the virus caused a veritable massacre of rabbits in the 1950s and 1960s – and thus destroyed itself – a milder form of the virus appeared. In this milder form, rabbits still get very sick, but in some cases they also recover.

RHDV

The second blow to rabbits came in the 1990s with the arrival of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV). The disease was first observed in China in 1984 and appeared in Europe in 1989. In a short time, the dune rabbit population, which was just beginning to recover from myxomatosis, was decimated.

What is worrying with the RHD virus is that permanent resistance has still not developed. Resistant rabbits are found in a rabbit population, but this resistance also disappears in the second generation of young rabbits. And then they become susceptible to disease.

Targeted nature management

Now there are nature managers taking measures to help the rabbit survive in the dune area. For example, rabbit holes are mowed here and there, so that nutritious grasses and herbs can grow. A well-fed and healthy rabbit has a high chance of surviving if infected with the virus. And in entire areas of open dunes, fagots are sometimes placed to provide shelter from predators such as foxes.

Another measure is the reintroduction of rabbits in dune areas where the rabbit has completely disappeared. This must be done carefully, as many things can go wrong and rabbits die. In recent years, a team of experts has researched which measures can help the recovery of the rabbit population.

DUNE

The next edition of the quarterly magazine DUIN will feature an interview with one of the researchers. Also receive DUIN? Register before December 1 as a donor to the Dune Conservation Foundation. See on www.duinduinen.nl For more information. (Photo: Martha de Jong-Lantink)