The local community working together will be a key message at an information session being held in Beechworth next week on wild rabbit control.

The event hosted by the Ovens Landcare Network (OLN) at Quercus Beechworth’s Oregon Hall on Wednesday 22 April from 6pm to 7.30pm will have talks delivered by Agriculture Victoria and Indigo Shire Council staff.

The session aims to provide information on when and what to do on properties to reduce the rabbit population.

Among topics are rabbit biology and behaviour, impacts of high rabbit populations and the local community and natural environment.

Another includes best practice rabbit control options in urban and peri-urban settings.

OLN’s Kerrie Warburton said it was vital for the community to work together.

Ms. Warburton said advice from Agriculture Victoria guest speakers will provide landholders with skills to maintain their properties.

“We encourage those in the community affected by rabbit problems to attend the session,” she said.

Talks will include identification of problem areas where rabbit scans can be placed to see where rabbits hide and as well as breeding areas on private property.

“People will come away with ideas of how to work on their properties.” Ms Warburton said.

“The OLN can also support landowners in an advisory capacity.”

Indigo Shire Council’s Environment and Sustainability coordinator Dr Isla Fitridge said a collective approach is needed with many different types of landholders involved.

“Council is responsible for council land but we need have an integrated pest management approach,” she said.

“We need to responsibly tackle the problem together.”

Dr Fitridge said the state government has significantly reduced research into new viruses for rabbit control.

“Rabbits become immune to old ones and with numbers of rabbits increasing, a new variety of viruses is needed,” she said.

Dr Fitridge said practical action needs to be taken such as cleaning up yards and looking at the space with a lens as to where they can take shelter.

“Options for shelter need to be reduced and it’s hard for them to survive winter without shelter," she said.

The information session is supported with funding by the state government and administered by Agriculture Victoria’s ‘Partnership against Pests Program’.

The program aims to improve the capacity of land holders to manage established weeds and pest animals on their land.

The Invasive Species Council, Rabbit-Free Australia and the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions are calling on all parties to commit federal support to fast-track the next rabbit biocontrol virus.

Invasive Species Council CEO Jack Gough said Australia has had decades of success in suppressing rabbits using biocontrols but in recent years the research pipeline funding has quietly dried up.

Mr Gough said while some welcome funding for the gene drive technology was in the recent federal budget, the unproven technology is at least two decades away from having an impact on the rabbit population.