Rabbits in context: thinking about when, where, and why we need to protect rabbits from pesticides in Europe.

Abstract

In the European regulatory system for pesticides used in agriculture, there is a legal requirement to ensure acceptable risk to wild mammals; among them, the rabbit. However, rabbits are also sometimes considered an agricultural pest. In this review paper, we introduce the history and context of rabbits across Europe and discuss the relevance of protecting them from pesticides on agricultural land. We also discuss potential protection and conservation measures for rabbits, where protection is considered relevant. We include information about life history and behavior of rabbits and some of the factors regulating their populations. We found that there are many factors to consider in the context of protecting rabbits from pesticides in Europe. We conclude that local consideration by environmental risk managers at a relatively small scale (certainly subcountry) seems appropriate, in collaboration with agricultural policy makers, to decide whether rabbit populations need specific protection from potential effects of pesticides under the local circumstances. Overall, we hope to stimulate a more thoughtful and informed discussion on the contentious case of the rabbit in wildlife risk assessments in Europe.