Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes
Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes is a community based feral animal management program which has been in operation since 2004. Over the past twenty years, the program has expanded from a small regional initiative to a large-scale project encompassing areas of all seven Western Australian Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions. The combined calculated impact of the Red Card program in the South West Land Division is $41,134,793 with an estimated 364,000 native animals saved. The program has delivered multiple benefits in the following areas:
Economic benefit
Conservation impact
Community engagement
Proven effectiveness
The potential for expansion.
Given these benefits to the agricultural sector, the local communities and the native animals, extension of the program is recommended as is the expansion of the program to the Regional Biosecurity Groups (RBGs) and the reintroduction and expansion of hot-baiting.
Red Card Report to State NRM
A report has been prepared for the Western Australian Government State NRM program.
This report outlines the significant outcomes and value of the Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes program in Western Australia. Over the past decade, the program has delivered an estimated economic impact of $41.13 million (in 2021/22 dollars) for the state’s agricultural industry, while also improving native wildlife populations across the South West Agricultural Land Division. The report highlights strong community engagement and the program’s proven effectiveness in controlling fox, rabbit, and feral cat populations. It recommends continued State NRM support based on its economic, conservation, and social benefits, and proposes opportunities for expansion and collaboration with Regional Biosecurity Groups. Additional recommendations include ongoing education on new firearm laws and securing stable, inflation-adjusted funding to sustain and grow the program’s success
Report to State NRM - Final
