Questions/Answers

The aim of the initiative was to reframe and renegotiate the relationships between government agencies and citizens for more effective management of Australia’s worst invasive species, the European rabbit. A series of project objectives support this aim: 1. Understand the historical, cultural and institutional approaches to rabbit management from multiple perspectives, the factors that influence people’s decisions and actions, and how people work together. 2. Facilitate a more democratic and level ‘playing field’ between government and community where collective action is required for effective rabbit management (a highly mobile species). 3. Link multi-disciplinary knowledge and expertise (including social, technical, economic ecological and political) across the community, government, business and university sectors. 4. Use this knowledge and expertise to co-design interventions that encourage more effective and sustainable rabbit management at all levels of decision-making and action. 5. Ensure communities and government agencies are active in the planning and delivery of interventions.

The project is ensuring integrated approaches in public-sector institutions through; 1. Supporting and facilitating social inclusiveness and collaboration through employing a democratic, participatory systems approach, engaging marginalised voices (such as land managers, traditional landowners) together with other actors to frame the problem (rabbits) and deliberate on potential interventions. 2. Drawing on these learnings, the project has harmonized institutional frameworks through the development of a mediating organisation, the Victorian Rabbit Action Network (VRAN), between community and government which is tasked with making planning decisions, designing interventions a series of interventions, and implementing management and control initiatives.

VRAN contributes to Goal 15.8. The initiative facilitated a shift in the Victorian Public Service from a state-led regulatory and enforcement model towards a self-empowered community approach. This acknowledges that individuals and community groups need to be involved not just in ‘doing’ rabbit control but also in the design and delivery of programs. VRAN has enabled this for communities and government by supporting collectively planning, resourcing and implementing their efforts for more effective rabbit management. Importantly, the shift is resulting in reduced impacts of rabbits through strengthened relationships and partnerships, changed management practices, and better co-ordination of local control activities.

Government have historically favored regulatory approaches to managing rabbits, with varying (limited) levels of success. Rural and regional voices, at the coal face of the problem, and their lived experiences, have been marginalized from governance and public programs in managing rabbits. Through applying a political economy framework, the project questioned what voices were at the table, who was missing, and how decisions are being made in rabbit management. Drawing on the insights stemming from this inquiry, the project facilitated a process to ‘move beyond the usual’ suspects, recognize citizen expertise and experience and bring this practical knowledge into framing the challenge. This was achieved through meeting and engaging a variety of actors in their locales. Drawing on these experiences in a workshop, with all the key actors within the system, to frame the problem and deliberate on potential interventions (see attachment B). This required deliberate facilitation, based on democratic principles and behaviors, to address power imbalances between previously marginalized voices and government actors. Through holding this tension, new ideas, insights and perspectives emerged, opening new possible shared futures. This genesis provided an important platform that enabled the development of a co-operative governance model based on mutual respect.

This is the first time in Australia that a democratic, participatory systems approach has been used to guide the management of invasive species. The historically-favored approach of state government-driven regulation complemented by pockets of local action has involved only limited formal partnerships and has evidenced limited effectiveness. The initiative has facilitated socio-political innovation, and uniquely accounts for the social, political and institutional complexities of the rabbit problem – arguably a more holistic, ‘whole-of-system’ approach. Rather than focusing on linear extension of technical information or enforcement action, it has sought to build individual and collective community capacity for rabbit management.

VRAN’s novel approach draws from diverse research and practice models, but its application to invasive species management is globally unique. The systems-strengthening component of VRAN’s establishment considered previous learnings from the public health sector (health systems-strengthening), environmental sector (adaptive management and systems mapping concepts), ecosystem approaches for responding to complexity, and institutional economics. The role of ‘democracy’ in the initiative was largely due to a collaboration with Penn State University. Linking democratic political theory to practice gave team members the confidence to engage with stakeholders across the system, and transparently confront and address power imbalances and tensions.

The philosophical, governance and operational frameworks created are transferable and are being applied to a variety of resource management contexts. The initiative has been adapted to other invasive species challenges through an AU$4.3 m investment applying the participatory, systems-strengthening approach to the management of widely established weeds. The ‘VRAN story’ is being shared locally, nationally and internationally (US and Europe so far) in forums on invasive species management, higher education and science. The initiative’s electronic communications (see Attachment A) and learning materials are being utilized by communities, governments and educators as resources for conferences and training programs on community engagement.

VRAN’s financial resources from 2014-18 were relatively modest. The principal resource was the individual and collective human capital that has made it successful. VRAN has been able to leverage significant volunteer contributions from community who have made a strong commitment to the initiative. On average, voluntary participants committed 8.5 unpaid hours in travel, averaging 281 km to attend events. The project was initiated as part of Australia’s National Rabbit Project (budget of $622,770 AU). VRAN’s initial budget was AU$100,000 (cash) and $200,000 (in-kind). This covered staff (Executive Officer) and initial interventions – see Impact Analysis Attachment C for further details.

The initiative’s focus on strengthening relationships has fostered commitment to its work from all sectors. Participants from VRAN’s earliest programs remain heavily involved in its new programs, sharing their knowledge with newer participants from the community and government sectors. This investment in relationships, knowledge and capacity has built ownership of VRAN and its interventions and fostered personal and socio-political relationships that establish community readiness to address critical social and environmental issues, known and unknown, other than rabbit management. The independent impact analysis concluded that the approach is cost-effective compared to regulatory and competitive institutional arrangements. It is not dependent on large investment from government. Instead, it harnesses the knowledge, experience, and social capital of communities. The network approach is a cost-efficient mechanism for engaging new individuals, as the initiative’s effects continue to ripple across communities. Broader confidence in the approach is evidenced by ongoing investment in invasive species ($4.3m). A significant challenge for ongoing rabbit management is effort must be maintained over time. One-off treatments to kill rabbits are only temporarily effective at best and wasted money at worst. VRAN’s approach has influenced the practices of public and private land managers across 2.4 million hectares of private and public land.

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Two independent evaluations were commissioned to understand the range of effects, processes and impacts of establishing VRAN. A formative utilisation evaluation, using interviews, surveys and document analysis, was undertaken two years after commencing the initiative (covering the initial groundwork leading to VRAN’s establishment). An impact analysis was conducted after three years (when initial funding ceased). The impact analysis (undertaken by a multidisciplinary consulting team) included a survey of VRAN’s steering group, partners and participants, in-depth case studies involving participants, mentors and steering committee members, and impact and reach analyses. An evaluation expert panel was established as a quality assurance mechanism.

The evaluations measured VRAN’s influence on peoples’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, and then sought to determine whether changes at these levels had impacts at a biophysical, environmental or economic level. This approach acknowledged that VRAN’s focus was on the human dimensions of the system, with flow through effects requiring more time to manifest. These social impacts were important to understand at the formative stage, as changes in people’s thinking and behavior are precursors to changes in on-ground practice and shifts in how institutions plan and deliver programs.

The evaluations indicated a fundamental shift in rabbit management towards a community-led approach, a decreased reliance on government, and community exercising their agency. In just four years, VRAN has reached over 5,300 people directly and indirectly impacted, covering 2.4 million hectares of land. VRAN has influenced and supported local-level management – 84% of survey respondents reported using an integrated rabbit management approach. VRAN has also encouraged participants to build capacity in their groups and organisations – 78% are now investing in skills development. Over half of participants now see a collaborative approach as an effective way to improve their rabbit management.

The initiative’s design challenged how the Victorian Public Sector engages the community by encouraging input and decision-making by stakeholders from inception through to delivery. Furthermore, the approach specifically addressed the inherent politics, and institutional power imbalances, which are often ignored in engagement practice. Participants in VRAN’s inception, implementation and evaluation included stakeholders often excluded from government decision making such as community groups, volunteers and staff, farmers, pest controllers, local government, cultural heritage advisers, indigenous facilitators, social scientists, ecologists, economists and educators. Engagement tools at VRAN’s inception were semi-structured interviews, surveys and a deliberative workshop. The diverse perspectives of each built understanding of how rabbit management happens, and generated ideas for how it could be strengthened (Attachment B). The tension that arose through this facilitated process was the starting point for changing mindsets and shifting power balances. This process is grounded in a social learning theory of change. Following this co-design process, the joint government-community steering group led the development of interventions and implemented them with support from other individuals across the community and government sectors. Both evaluations have returned to many of these original participants, and others who have been involved since, to seek their feedback on the initiative.

There is no ‘silver bullet’. The biological and social systems make rabbit management complex. This needs to be embraced rather than trying to force a simple solution. Understanding and working with both systems is necessary but neither alone is sufficient. The on-going challenge is to integrate the two systems in ways that build community capacity, evidence democratic practice, and foster democracy. Work with and for people to affect change. With wicked issues, it is important to listen, learn – then act together. Conflict is inherent and can be the start of meaningful change when we hold inherent tensions.