1. The Dingo Project Arid Recovery 31-Jan-2012
2. How to become a scientist Arid Recovery 24-Jan-2012
3. Fire Season Ready Arid Recovery 11-Jan-2012
4. National Bird Day Arid Recovery 05-Jan-2012
5. Seasons Greetings from AR Arid Recovery 19-Dec-2011

Rabbits In the Roxby Downs area, rabbit numbers have been measured at densities of more than 600 per km². Rabbits, along with domestic stock, considerably reduce grass cover which reduces food and shelter for native species.  This reduction in vegetation cover increases the susceptibility of small animals to predation by cats and foxes. The Arid Recovery Reserve was established in response to the dramatic drop in rabbit numbers after the Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD) reached the Roxby Downs region (see the History page for more information). The reserve was fenced in stages, with rabbit control in each stage becoming more efficient as better control methods were developed. Rabbits were completely eradicated from a 60km² area in 2001 using a combination of 1080 poisoning, warren fumigation, trapping and shooting. Spotlight counts indicate that rabbit densities outside the reserve increase periodically, but  have still not reached pre-RCD levels.  Cats & Foxes  Feral cats are abundant in the Roxby Downs region and can each kill up to 30 native animals a day. Medium-sized mammals between 35g and 5.5kg are the most susceptible to predation by both cats and foxes due to their size. Research has shown that feral cats in the Roxby Downs region have preyed on 54 species of native vertebrates, including six mammals, 34 reptiles, 13 birds and one frog species.  Cats and Foxes were completely eradicated from the main 14km² exclosure in 1998 and from 60km² of the reserve in early 2001. Twenty permanent traps, with audio lures and soft rubber foot-hold traps, are set outside the perimeter fence of the reserve and checked daily using remote telemetry tracking developed by Observant and Arid Recovery.   Plant Recovery The plants around Roxby Downs have changed considerably since European settlement. Long-lived trees such as mulga (Acacia aneura) have shown limited recruitment in the presence of rabbits and cattle, and long lived plant species have been replaced by short lived annual and weed species. Grass cover has been significantly reduced by rabbit grazing leading to erosion and scalding. Since the rabbits and stock were removed from the Arid Recovery Reserve significant plant changes have occured. Satellite imagery shows that plant cover has increased inside the Reserve significantly compared with outside areas where cover has declined.   Photos taken of cross fence comparisons show that vegetation cover inside the Reserve (left side of photo) is now higher than outside the Reserve (right side of photo) where rabbits are still present. Recruitment of seedlings in being monitored to determine the impact of rabbits and domestic stock on the survival of seedlings. Seven plant species are being monitored including mulga (A.aneura), Umbrella Wattle (A.ligulata), Senna artemisioides and Native Plum (Santalum lanceolatum). Results to date suggest that survival of mulga seedlings is much higher inside the Reserve than outside where rabbits and cattle are present