New development: Public sector responses to complex socio-ecological issues—no silver bullets for rabbits

Abstract

This article reports on a United Nations-award winning initiative, the Victoria Rabbit Action Network (VRAN), which applied a systems approach, underpinned by a democratic and participatory engagement strategy, to manage one of Australia’s worst pests: the European rabbit. Over six years of the initiative there has been a shift away from a regulation-and-enforcement focused model, towards a community-led, government-supported approach. This has enabled the collective planning, resourcing and implementation of rabbit management programmes. This article outlines the learnings and implications for policy and public management. IMPACT This article provides new perspectives for policy-makers and programme managers to framing and responding to ‘wicked’ problems.