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Writing Wikipedia Articles on Warfare

This is a set of instructions for writing Wikipedia articles on Warfare. To come up with these guidelines, two featured articles on warfare were studied, Divisional Cavalry Regiment and the Iranian Embassy Siege. One good article was also studied, Operation PBFORTUNE. Commonalities between all of these high quality articles were used to create the guidelines below. They span several facets of writing including the use of sources, article structure, neutrality, and context. They are a good framework for writers to ensure that their work is of high quality.

Organization

Articles on Warfare should generally be organized in the following manner

Lead:

The lead should give a broad and general summary of the military engagement, its cause, and general effects. A main priority here is to make it interesting so that readers are compelled to read the rest of the article. Simultaneously the author should strive to be informative, and facilitate the highest degree of understanding possible for the majority of readers who will only read the lead before leaving the page. It should also include a relevant and interesting picture, and an infobox. These will make the article much more likely to be read and also make it more informative and interesting, which are core goals of Wikipedia articles. The Divisional Cavalry regiment article is demonstrative of a very effective lead that includes an informative picture and an infobox. This page of guidelines on leads that Wikipedia published is quite helpful in forming a high quality lead section.

Cause and Context

The body should begin with a section that discusses the causes for the engagement or for the formation of the unit. It should also, however not in excessive detail, display a broader, larger context for the event and its causes. For example, Operation PBFORTUNE explains in detail its causes and context, which is extremely important in understanding the effects and significants, and the military conflict itself. The Divisional Cavalry Regiment article displays this style of creating context as well, but the Iranian Embassy Siege article is different. It creates context by introducing the relevant groups, the Special Air Service and the terrorists. It then begins the narrative without much other talk of context.

Military Engagements

The bulk of the article should be centered around the actual conflict, because it is an article on warfare. Focus must be collapsed here to exclusively the actual event of the subject. From here, it must be dissected and covered in thorough detail. The goal is for the reader to gain thorough knowledge and understanding of the actual event of warfare. The Iranian embassy siege demonstrates this deep level of detail well, covering the hostage situation by individual day. The other two are similar, but do not cover their events to quite the same degree of painstaking detail.

Effects and Significance

A section at the end should discuss the effects that the military engagement had, especially in relation to its broader context. This is important as to demonstrate significance, which is important in creating notability. The article on the Iranian Embassy siege demonstrates a very effective conclusion that efficiently covers the effects and significance of the battle. In a few brief paragraphs, the conclusion describes and explains a variety of effects from the siege. These include strained relations between Great Britain and Iran, and increased notoriety for the Special Air Service. This is the military unit that carried out the raid. The article on Operation PBFORTUNE is quite similar in this aspect.

Sources:

Sources should be ideally, serious academic books published by reputable publishers. These generally come from universities or publishing companies specializing in historic books, specifically on warfare or war history. Other great sources include official government documents or publications, or information from a news agency. Use those that are highly reputable, such as BBC, a news source used in the article on the Iranian Embassy seige. All 3 examined articles draw most if not all of their information from these high quality sources. This rules all apply to pictures as well, which should be from this same pool of reputable and accurate sources. As always, general Wikipedia guidelines apply so when selecting sources the writer must be careful to conform to the criteria in Identifying Reliable Sources

Neutrality:

it is important that the writing does not include any opinion, which in this case means the arguing of a certain meaning, cause, or implication of the event which is not substantiated by fact. This is especially important in articles on warfare because war itself tends to have highly controversial aspects, such as justifications for conflict, winners and losers, ideological backings/causes, and meaning. This careful balancing act of achieving neutrality is exemplified well in the article on Operation PBFORTUNE, an article about a plan by the United States to overthrow the government of Guatemala. This article carefully navigates highly controversial subject matter to present the content manner in a neutral matter. The article presents facts not arguments, which was highly difficult when conveying the reasons/rationale for the plan.

Word Count

Generally the word count for articles on Warfare should be around 5,000-6,000 words; this is well exemplified by the Iranian Embassy seige and the Divisional Cavalry regiment. If the topic is something which did not happen, or was simpler or less significant, the word count can be lower. The word count can also be lower if the military action was never carried out, but just a plan. In this case an appropriate word count would be around 2,000-3,000 words, like Operation PBFORTUNE.

Creating Context

The article must explain the causes and preceding events to the military action, as exclusively focusing on the conflict itself is quite narrow and severely reduces the notability of the article. If the article is about a military unit, then this section of context creation should be about the formation of the unit and the need it fulfilled/the purpose for its creation. The article on Operation PBFORTUNE demonstrates how to create context, as it explains why this plan was created by the United States to overthrow the Guatemalan government. This article establishes context in a way which is simultaneously brief, effective, and clearly understood.

Focus and Broadness

Covering the context and causality in a broad manner increases the notability of the article by illustrating its significance and also makes the article more interesting, because it displays to the reader the importance of the topic. However, to facilitate a deep understanding of the topic, it must be covered in a very focused and detailed manner. This combination of focus and broadness keeps the article interesting yet informative. The Iranian Embassy siege article best demonstrates this. It broadly and briefly explains why the terrorists created the hostage situation (In the Motives section), which was: "The suppression of the Arab Sovereignty Movement". Following this, it goes into deep detail of the hostage situation, covering it day by day, until covering the raid.

Clarity

Ideal articles are written in a very clear and understandable way, and are written in align with the Wikipedia manual of style, which generally means that the style of writing conveys the information in a clear and neutral way. The article on the Divisional Cavalry Regiment demonstrates exceptional clarity and ease of understanding in its introduction, where a broad description and history of the unit is given in a manner which is very informative and easy to understand.

Effective Aids to the Article

Infobox

An infobox should be included by the lead to facilitate the reader's broad and rough understanding of the event. This has a twofold purpose. Firstly, those readers who are just glancing at the article, only reading the lead, they will be able to have a general understanding of the event, which makes the lead quite effective in imparting information. Secondly, for those readers who are taking time to read the entire article, first acquiring knowledge of the broad strokes of the event will help them create a mental framework for it. This will allow them be able to easy assimilate all the finer details of the article into this rough understanding. So the effect of the infobox is that it helps them to very effectively understand and conceptualize the topic of the article. Again, the article on the Iranian Embassy siege has an example of an effective yet brief infobox giving some broad and general facts that help one to create a mental framework for the event, so that they can process and assimilate all the finer facts and details. Further information on inboxes can be found on this page.

Pictures

Pictures should be included with the main sections and especially with the lead. Including a picture with the lead is very important because it makes the article much more appealing and therefore more likely to be read. Pictures are very important throughout the body of the article as they are a great oppritunity to facilitate a deeper understanding of the covered events. This is especially important in articles on warfare, due to how the subject matter is quite concrete, meaning not at all abstract. Due to this, pictures are quite helpful in creating understanding. The article of the Divisional Cavalry Regiment makes great use of pictures. Several pictures of the unit and its equipment in action are includes, along with several maps that illustrate their military adventures. These pictures accompany the text throughout the body of the article and increase understanding while making the article more entertaining and fascinating to read. There should generally be at least one picture with each heading under the table of contents, and the lead. The Divisional Cavalry Regiment article demonstrates this as well, including pictures with the lead and all headings of the body, except 2 that were shorter and relatively insignificant. As long as the pictures are interesting and informative, they usually have a positive impact on the article.

Revised version:

- added links to relevant articles published by wikipedia on how to write

- compared and contrasted the articles using the concepts covered in this article

- Improved the lead

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Colin’s sources

Duthie, A.G., et al. “The Distribution and Status of the Riverine Rabbit, Bunolagus Monticularis, South Africa.” Biological Conservation, Elsevier, 24 June 2003, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006320789900645.

Around 66% of its habitat has been destroyed because of industrial exploitation of the land there
“It is estimated that the remaining habitat could probably support 1435 rabbits”
This academic article explains the current condition of the habitats of the riverine rabbit. It will be useful in describing the animal’s habitat, and also explaining its status as an extremely endangered animal.

“Riverine Rabbit - Bunolagus Monticularis - Overview.” Encyclopedia of Life, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, www.eol.org/pages/311977/overview.

Doesn’t birth rapidly like other rabbits. Only produces 1 rabbit every year
Males ensure that every female is mated with
Spends nights feeding on vegetation, and during the day it hides from dangerous carnivorous animals
“ It has very long ears, a soft and silky coat and a uniformly brown, woolly tail. A distinctive black stripe runs from the corner of the mouth over the cheeks (2), and it has white rings around the eyes (3). The belly and throat are cream in colour and the short limbs have particularly thick fur (2).”
This source gives à general overview of the rabbit: its appearance, behavior, reproduction, etc. It will be useful for many sections, specifically those on classification, ecology, and behavior.

“Riverine Rabbit, Bushman Rabbit, Bushman Hare.” Bunolagus Monticularis : WAZA : World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, WAZA, www.waza.org/en/zoo/visit-the-zoo/rodents-and-hares/bunolagus-monticularis.

Requires à highly specialized environment to survive
90% of diet is karoo shrub and the rest is grass
It is à solitary nocturnal animal
This source also describes general info on classification, appearance, and behavior. So it will be able to contribute to all of those sections as well.

Collins, Kai, and Johan T. Toit. “Population Status and Distribution Modelling of the Critically Endangered Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus Monticularis).” African Journal of Ecology, Wiley Online Library, 11 Mar. 2016, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aje.12285/full.

“Extent of occurrence for the species is 54,227 km2, and area of occupancy is 2943 km2. Estimates of 157–207 mature individuals confirm an alarmingly small species population size, and it appears that no subpopulation has >50 mature individuals. “
This source also delves deeper into the status of the rabbit’s habitation, the settings that could actually support its life. For this reason, it will be highly useful in contributing to the sections on endangerment and ecology.

“Animal Info - Riverine Rabbit.” Animal Info/ Endangered Animals, www.animalinfo.org/species/bunomont.htm.

Weighs around 4 pounds
One of the worlds rarest animals
“Distinguishing marks include a distinctive white ring around each eye and a black stripe running from the corner of its mouth over its cheek”
Industrial activity is destorying the specialized habitat that it is highly reliant on
This is another general source that will contribute to several sections, including ecology, classification, and behavior. In addition, it contains à valuable works cited that could be used for further research

Valerie’s sources

“EDGE :: Mammal Species Information.” EDGE of Existence, www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=3.

http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=3

the rabbit lives in one of the few areas of the Karoo Desert suitable for conversion to agriculture
Less than 250 individuals survive
This article explains the habitats and ecology of the riverine rabbit.

“Riverine Rabbit.” Accommodation South Africa - SA-Venues.com, www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/wildlife_riverine_rabbit.htm.

https://www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/wildlife_riverine_rabbit.htm

The riverine rabbit feed on the leaves and flowers of the wild vegetation in its habits
It has a gestation period of around 35 days
Unlike other rabbits, the beautiful riverine rabbits has a particular slow breeding rate, with only one or two babies being born to a female throughout the course of the entire year
It has a lifespan in the wild for only three, occasionally four year
Build stable burrows to breed and live
The female weighs slightly more than male
This articles gives the overview of the rabbit like its weights, diet, socialisation, distribution and so on.

Wyk, Cronje van, et al. “Riverine Rabbit - Characteristics, Habitat & Breeding - Critically Endangered Species.” Its Nature Offers You Interesting Information and Facts on the Natural World, www.itsnature.org/endangered/riverine-rabbit/.

https://www.itsnature.org/endangered/riverine-rabbit/

It depends on burrows for protection from predators the soil of their habits has to be perfect (the foliage found in Karoo Desert is excellent for them)
This article also gives the general overview of the rabbit like appearance, reproduction.

Awaad, Rania. “Bunolagus Monticularis (Riverine Rabbit).” Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bunolagus_monticularis/.

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bunolagus_monticularis/

It provide many benefits for farmers
Squeals loudly when captured
This article talks about the rabbit’s economic importance for humans and conservation status.

“Riverine Rabbit, Bushman Rabbit, Bushman Hare.” Bunolagus Monticularis : WAZA : World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, WAZA,

http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/visit-the-zoo/rodents-and-hares/bunolagus-monticularis

It is a solitary, nocturnal animals that rests during the heat of the day in shallow depression scraped out under shrubs
This sources gives us the general informations about the rabbit like its appearance, diet, etc.

Bunolagus Monticularis (Riverine Rabbit), www.biodiversityexplorer.org/mammals/lagomorpha/bunolagus_monticularis.htm.

http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/mammals/lagomorpha/bunolagus_monticularis.htm

Has more specific reasons why riverine rabbit is most endangered mammals
This article talks about it’s behavior, history, and multiple threatening reasons.

Delaney’s Sources

Robinson , T. J. “Karyology of the Riverine Rabbit, Bunolagus Monticularis and Its Taxonomic Implications .” American Society of Mammalogists , JSTOR, Nov. 1983, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1380524.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aaed98e0ee39a739cf42cf2b353a9b56c.

This is a PDF of the book “Karyology of the Riverine Rabbit.” It discusses the controversy over the taxonomic status of the bunolagus monticularis. Though this rabbit was originally known as lepus monticularis, its thick legs and uniformly colored tails created a variance of this rabbit. This then caused many to create a new name for this variance (bunolagus monticularis). This source also discusses the karyotypic analysis which was performed on eleven different species of lepus, which revealed that all of them have similar chromosomes. The overall goal of these analysis and the goal of this source is to discover if the “karyotypic affinities of bunolagus monticularis lay with representatives of lepus monticularis” and to identify the taxonomic status of the riverine rabbit. This source contributes to the riverine rabbit’s taxonomy and identification.

South African Mammal CAMP Workshop. 2013. Bunolagus monticularis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T3326A43710964. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T3326A43710964.en. Downloaded on 25 October 2017.

This source does a good job at giving an overview of the riverine rabbit and hits on important topics and characteristics revolving around this mammal. It discusses the taxonomy such as the kingdom, class, order, family, and scientific name. It goes in detail of the rabbit’s habits and ecology and threats. It hits upon the riverine rabbits population which is currently decreasing. Finally, it goes into detail on the conservation plan for the bunolagus monticularis. Unfortunately it is listed as an endangered species in the 1986 South African National Red Data Book. This source helps to go deeper into the taxonomy of this rabbit and also hits upon the endangerment of this species.

Starzak Kelly continent-hopped her way to Africa from Poland thanks to parents who were searching for bigger skies. Now that she's all grown up, she tries to keep her head above rising sea levels as Eart, Kelly. “In South Africa, Rare Riverine Rabbits Are Ready for Their Closeup.” Earth Touch News Network, Earth Touch , 23 Feb. 2015, www.earthtouchnews.com/conservation/endangered/in-south-africa-rare-riverine-rabbits-are-ready-for-their-closeup/.

This source is an article in 2014 that discusses the riverine rabbit and describes how it has become one of the rarest animals in South Africa. Due to it being endangered they have created a conservation plan to keep them safe. This article also has images to give the reader a better perspective on what went down in South Africa. Though they are trying their best the conservation groups are having trouble financially. They need technology to help them with these nocturnal creatures. Overall the source just helps give a better understanding that riverine rabbits are endanger everywhere. This source helps to go into the conservation of this species and the struggles that have come along with it.

Platt, John R. “New Population of Critically Endangered Rabbits Found in (of All Places) a Nature Reserve.” Scientific American Blog Network, Scientific American, A Division of Nature America , 7 Jan. 2014, blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/new-population-of-critically-endangered-rabbits-found-in-of-all-places-a-nature-reserve/.

This source is a blog written in 2014 about the riverine rabbit in south Africa. They discuss how they caught one of the rabbits and tested the DNA discovering that it is a different species. The rabbit they caught was a small one which indicated that the species was breeding in the area. This source helps with identifying the habitat and also can contribute to its relationships with humans.

Assignment Questions

How long is the article, currently? (word count, not including citations)

448 words

What's included in the current table of contents?

Identification
Habit
Behaviour
Reproduction
In film
Reference
External Link

How many sources are there now?

5 currently

Individual Writing Tasks

Colin: Population Problems, Habitat

Valerie: Relationship with Humans, Behavior, ecology

Delaney: Classification, Ecoology

Draft

Lead Section

The riverine rabbit is the only rabbit in the classification Bunolagus for its specific traits that separate it from the other rabbits in the Lepus species. There is still controversy and a lot of debate between taxonomists over its classification. Many tests and karyotypic analysis has been performed on many rabbits from the Lepus species to compare the riverine rabbit to other rabbits that are classified as true hares. It is the most endangered mammal due to its habitat degradation and fragmentation. They live in dense vegetation near streams and rivers and rely on this land for not just shelter but also food. Their diet consists of mostly plants and a lot of the natural vegetation is being diminished causing a loss in food and trouble forming breeding burrows. The riverine rabbit also has an odd reproduction issue where the mother can only produce one offspring a year. This coincides with the endangerment issue, since they cannot reproduce as many offspring as other rabbits from the Lepus species. Along with their reproduction circumstances they also have odd behaviors. They are nocturnal creatures who venture out during the night and sleep during the day and they also have two different droppings depending on the time of the day. Overall, the riverine rabbit has many differences for other Leous species causing it to have its own classification and even though it is one of the most endangered mammals there are conservation plans being enacted to help with its population and habitats.

Classification

- Identification

The Riverine rabbit is a native to the Karoo desert in South Africa and is classes as critically endangered due to loss of habitat from farming and agriculture (6). The riverine rabbit has the general appearance of most rabbits, but the ears and body are longer. It typically has a black strip running from the corner of the mouth over the cheek, and a white ring around each eye (7). It has a brown wooly tail, cream or grayish-colored fur on its belly and throat., and a broad, club-like hind foot. Its tail is pale brown with a tinge of black toward the tip. Its coat is soft and silky and its limb are short and heavily furred. Male riverine rabbit weigh approximately 1.5 kilogram while females weigh about 1.8 kilograms(9).

- Taxonomy

The taxonomic status of the Riverine Rabbit has been a very controversial topic in the scientific world. This rabbit has specific qualities that are different from other Lepus species, this resulted in the taxon generic separation. Though, this rabbit still has some external characteristics and cranial conformation has caused the controversy between taxonomists. Eleven different Lepus species had a karyotypic analysis performed on them and from this tests it was learned that all hares have basically a similar G-banded karyotype. This study was done to establish whether the “karyotypic affinities of B. Monticularis lay with representatives of the genus Lepus “or if the evidence found gives reason for this species to be in a genus distinct from that of true hares (12).

The riverine rabbit scientific name is Bunolagus monticularis and it is in the Animalia kingdom and its taxonomic rank is species (16). The phylum it is in is Chordata, its class is Mammalia, its order is Lagomorpha, and its family is Leporidae. Besides the rabbits scientific classification its common names are the bushman hare and the bushman rabbit (13). The riverine rabbit also has less common names such as boshaas and vleihaas and these names arose from the habitats they lived in which were moist and dense. Their broad hind paws which are furred underfoot were referred to as doekvoetjie (11).

Ecology

- Habitat

The riverine rabbit lives in very dense growth along the seasonal rivers in the central semi-arid Karoo region of South Africa. Its habitat regions are tropical and terrestrial while its terrestrial biomes are desert or dune and scrub forest (9). Two of the most common plants in its habitat are Salsola glabrescens (11·8%) and Lycium spp. (8·5%) (13).

They appear and live specifically in riverine vegetation on alluvial soils adjacent to seasonal rivers. Though studies have found this habitat to be sixty-seven percent fragmented in certain areas. Currently the habitat is decreasing in size due to this species being classified as endangered. The primary reason for the decline in habitats is due to cultivation and livestock farming. Major threats to this species comes from loss and degradation of habitat. Over the last hundred years, over two-thirds of their habitat has been lost. Today only two hundred and fifty mature riverine rabbits are estimated to be living in the wild. Removal of the natural vegetation along the rivers and streams prevent the rabbits from being able to construct a stable breeding burrows. This is caused by the loss of the soft alluvial top soils and from feeding and escaping predation. Another cause of damage and loss to their habitats comes from overgrazing of domestic herbivores and also causes degradation and fragmentation to the land. If they have nowhere to live they have a lower rate of survival (13).

“It is estimated that the remaining habitat could probably support 1435 rabbits” (1). This is not a lot and displays how the decreasing habitats has made it so not as many rabbits can survive in one area, which has then caused a decrease in population.

- Predators and Competitors

Riverine rabbit is prey by Falconiformes and black eagles. Riverine rabbit is capable of jumping over one meter high bushes when being pursued by a predator. To escape predation, it remains nocturnal, spending the day resting in a form, a shallow scrape made in the soil, under a Karoo bush (11).

- Diet

The riverine rabbit is predominantly known for being a “browser”. They eat riparian vegetation found along seasonal rivers in the Karoo Desert. This includes salt-loving plants such as the salsola and lycium. They sometimes eat grass depending on if it is the wet season or not. Besides all the normal foods they eat they will also intake their day-time droppings which are soft and come directly from the anus. They do this because their feces contains vitamin produced by the bacteria in the hindgut and also contains minerals such as calcium and phosphorous (9).

Behavior

Riverine rabbits are solitary and nocturnal, feeding at night and resting during the day in shallow depressions (forms) that are scraped out under Karoo shrubs. Two types of droppings are produced. While active during the night, the rabbit will produce hard droppings, and during the day droppings are soft, taken directly from the tail, and swallowed. In the way, the riverine rabbit obtains vitamin B, produced by bacteria in the hindgut, and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus are recycled (6).

They are polygamous, while they live and browse for food as solo creatures. They have intrasexually exclusive home ranges; the males’ home ranges overlap a little with those of the various females. Between August and May, females will make a nest in a burrow lined with grass and fur, and blocked with soil and twigs. This nest is 10-15 cm in diameter, 25 cm long (8).

- Reproduction

Riverine rabbit is one of the rarest mammals in the world and very little is known about its reproductive behavior other than it has a polygamous mating system, where males mate with more than one female. Like other rabbits, it bears its young underground for protection. This because the single offspring that the rabbit produces is born altricial, or bald, blind, and helpless, and weigh only from 40 to 50 grams (10). However, the Riverine rabbit is the only African rabbit that bears its young underground. The helpless offspring with stay with the mother until it is capable of living on its own and fend for itself. The low breeding rate of only one offspring per year is not like most other rabbits and coincides with the issues of repopulating this endangered species (11). Unlike other rabbits, the beautiful Riverine rabbit has a particularly slow breeding rate, with only one or two babies being born to a female throughout the course of an entire year. These rabbits will mate with a number of individuals, and are the only known rabbit species to make nests for the baby. Very rarely, two kits maybe born at once (7).

- Social Behaviors

Relationship with Humans

The first time that the species encountered humans was in 1901, by à soldier in the British Army. Oldenfield Thomas, à senior employee at the British Museum of Natural History identified à rabbit carcass as being à new species. In 1978, during an observational study of the area, rabbits were identified near the region called “Victoria West” in South Africa. Genetically, its closest relations are to the Japanese Amami Rabbit, the Indian Hispid Hare, and Oryctolagus Cuniculus, à common rabbit in Europe (11).

The riverine rabbit provides many benefits for farmers. The riverine vegetation that the rabbit feeds on, causing this vegetation to generate, binds the soil and prevents it from being washed away in floods. Also, this vegetation promotes filtration of rainwater to groundwater, which is a benefit for the farmer who uses windmills to draw up water for his livestock. Indirectly, the habitat of riverine rabbit helps humans in farming and can only be sustained if this rabbit continues to feed on this vegetation (9).

Population Problems

- Endangerment

Extent

The Riverine Rabbit is à species that is in extreme danger of extinction. In 1981 it was first labeled as an endangered species (11). It is classified under the most severe category of endangerment (aside from extinction), which is critically endangered, according to the IUCN redlist. This label was given to it in 2002 (11). It has à population of only about 500 mature rabbits (13) and 1500 overall (11) which both continue to decline.In addition, the IUCN red list predicts increased population reduction, in the immediate future. Their exact prediction is for one tenth of the population to be lost between 2002 and 2022. Another problem that this species faces in terms of population is how their already immensely small population is divided into several isolated groups, about 10 in total, all with less than 50 rabbits in total. (13)

Causes

The decline in the population is largely due to the destruction of its habitat, as over half of it has been rendered unable to support the rabbit since 1970. The reason for this is largely due to the use of land for agriculture, causing the unique needed environment of the riverine rabbit to be destroyed. The range of habitable area continues to decline, and it is predicted that over the next 100 years that another fifth of habitable area will be lost. The reason for this ongoing destruction of the rabbit’s habitat is the practice of raising animals for commercial reasons in the area, causing the environment to be transformed to serve this end. Another ongoing threat to the rabbit is how the isolated groups are divided up because fields in the area often have fencing which is impermeable to this species, designed to keep out jackals. (13). An additional threat to the species is found in how the remaining land left that supports it is being damaged by climate change. Other sources for population reduction are found in how the rabbit is hunted for entertainment, food, and collection, and also in how the rabbit has often fallen into traps set on farms, for the purpose of capturing other bothersome animals (14). Soil erosion in the area of habitation is ànother factor in destroying the animal. Animals feeding on local vegetation intensely decimates the already narrow scope of food for the rabbit. The practice of extracting materials from trees and destroying local vegetation destroys areas that the rabbits conventionally use to escape the heat, and also hide from animals which seek to eat or harm them. Finally, structures on rivers like dams isolate subpopulations from each other, discouraging faster population regeneration (11).

- Conservation

Relatively speaking to other similar species, there is little information known about key aspects of the riverine rabbit, such as behavior and diet, so one of the most meaningful conservation efforts underway is researching this species, seeking to find this critical information that will lead to more effective conservation measures (11).The current plan to protect the remaining members of the population has been criticized, with experts claiming that à large part of the remaining land that can support the rabbit is outside the current area being preserved for it (1). Other efforts include engaging and educating local farmers so that they act in à way that reduces harm to the species (11). Also, efforts have been carried out to get landowners of the area of the habitat to agree to certain measures that help the rabbit population (11). One of the most prominent conservation efforts has been to engage in intensely thorough monitoring of rabbit populations, à task made more difficult by the emergence of à new population in 2014 (14). One of the most important and meaningful conservation efforts has been made by The Endangered Wildlife Trust, which is the organization that has carried out this monitoring of the riverine rabbit species (14).

Recommended Conservation Actions

The IUCN recommends several further conservation measures, demonstrating that current actions are not adequate.They recommend capturing the animal as to safely allow it to reproduce without danger of predators or of not being able to find food. They also recommend different methods of managing the habitat and the population in the wild. Finally they recommend further efforts of informing the local populace as to how to protect the rabbit. The red list also notes that further research is needed into its ecology and into the conservation actions that would be most effective. (13)

In Film

References/External Links Category:Sources

User:Colinjegan/sandbox