Multi-stakeholder working groups to improve rodent management outcomes in agricultural systems

• Published in: International Journal of Pest Management
• Main Authors: Brown, Peter, R., Giraudoux, Patrick, Jacob, Jens, Couval, Geoffroy, Wolff, Christian
• Other Authors: CSIRO Health and Biosecurity Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Canberra (CSIRO), Laboratoire Chrono-environnement (UMR 6249) (LCE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté COMUE (UBFC), Julius Kühn-Institut - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (JKI), Fédération Régionale de Défense contre les Organismes Nuisibles de Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FREDON Bourgogne Franche-Comté), State Agency for Agriculture and Horticulture
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Common vole
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04623119; https://doi.org/10.1080/09670874.2024.2363877

International audience Effective strategies for sustainable management while minimizing environmental impacts are crucial. To address the multifaceted nature of rodent impacts, well-coordinated initiatives are necessary to support control strategies, raise awareness among authorities, and inform the public. There is increasing global evidence of Working Groups delivering successful management of a range of natural resource management issues. We outline three case study working groups to tackle rodent pests: (1) National Mouse Group in Australia to manage mouse plague impacts, (2) Working Group Common Vole Management in Germany to manage common vole impacts, and (3) FREDON network for vole management in France. Each working group evolved independently, but all have remarkably similar structures, including monitoring, modelling/forecasting, regular stakeholder meetings (including producers, researchers, government agency staff and others), developing advice for management and identifying research priorities. The success of these working groups was related to: (1) broad stakeholder engagement (particularly farmers/producers), (2) dedicated funding to conduct direct research to inform control strategies, (3) maintained momentum through all phases of rodent population cycles, and (4) benefit for all stakeholders. As rodenticides are increasingly restricted, such working groups will become more important in the future, because stakeholder engagement is necessary to develop rodent management “toolboxes”.