The leading reason for the decline of the riparian brush rabbit is the 90% decrease in riparian forests due to habitat destruction (Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery, 2016), a rampage led by 3 major Central Valley industries: agriculture, irrigation, and urbanization.

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Your Fruits and Vegetables are Farming Destruction for Riparian Brush Rabbits:

It would be a lie to say the Central Valley isn’t one of the biggest economic arteries of California. California is an agricultural epicenter, one that in 2013 represented 17.3% of all agricultural output in the United States and was valued at

$46.7 billion (Medina, 2014). However in great success has also come great tragedy with the

destruction of the riparian brush rabbit's riparian forest habitat which once

dominated the Central Valley. These riparian forest, found along riparian corridors and

floodplains, have seen a 90% decrease since the beginning of farming in the Central Valley.

We haven’t even given the rabbits a chance! Agriculture has been the leading cause to this

great decline in riparian brush rabbit habitat and has fragmented what little habitat is left

(Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery, 2016). This fragmentation has proved deadly for our furry

little friends because riparian brush rabbits both will not move more than a meter from their

brush cover and don’t like being near each other, meaning these rabbits are stuck on an sliver 

of what they once called home. Riparian brush rabbit can’t migrate, so any expansion of agriculture is a death sentence for these poor riparian brush rabbits (Hamilton, Kelly, Williams, Kelt, Wittmer, 2010).

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Central Valley Irrigation: Nightmare For Riparian Brush Rabbits:

A close relative to agriculture and another large contributor to riparian brush rabbit habitat loss is Central Valley irrigation, representing about 40%-80% of our water use in California (Johnson, Cody, 2015). This agricultural and urban reliance on water has led to the mass irrigation of the Central Valley, a fate which has spelled doom for our cute little friends. Living on the floodplains isn’t easy and between the introduction of irrigation and the destruction of 95% of floodplains in the Central Valley, life on the floodplains has taken an almost non survivable turn for the worst (Sacramento and San Joaquin river, 2017). In addition to floodplain destruction, the channelization of the San Joaquin River has led to  an increased rate of flow and floods (Kelly P., Matocq M., Rippert J., and Phillips S., 2017) and the 100s of dams which have been constructed to serve our selfish and excessive water needs have made the riparian brush rabbit habitat more hostile than ever before (Sacramento and San Joaquin river, 2017).

     Irrigation, a supposedly safe and effective water management practices have been a death sentence for the riparian brush rabbit, who have had many deaths at the hands of the increased flood rates and limited water in the San Joaquin River. Flooding has ravaged the population so frequently that since 1993, it has been hard to get an accurate estimation of the population. In the times population censuses have been conducted, the results have been disheartening. In 1993, the population of riparian brush rabbits in Caswell Memorial State Park was considered to be 200-300 until flooding impacted the park in 1997 (Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery, 2016). Flooding has continued to ravage the park and the most recent census only found two rabbits in 2012 (Kelly P., Matocq M., , Rippert J. , and Phillips S., 2017). Floodplain destruction and human made barriers like levees have left these rabbits with nowhere to go during floods and many have helplessly been swept away in the river’s current during floods, making the San Joaquin River a graveyard for the riparian brush rabbit. Tragically however, it is unlikely to see the irrigation systems and dams of the Central Valley leaving anytime soon as they provide 25 million people with water and another 4 million with electricity (Sacramento and San Joaquin river, 2017). Click here to find out how to stop mismanagement of Central Valley irrigation systems.   

 

Your Suburb Is Built On the Graves Of Riparian Brush Rabbits!

The last key factor in the endangerment of the riparian brush rabbit is urbanization. While riparian brush rabbit populations in the Central Valley have dwindled, human populations have

skyrocketed, making the Central Valley the fastest

growing population in California. By 2040 the

Central Valley is estimated to be home to 12

million people, a little less than double its 2005

6.5 million population count

(California’s Central Valley, 2006). With rapid

expansion has come mass destruction,

contributing to the 90% reduction in riparian

forest. Additionally, with the increased human

population has also come habitat fragmentation

from transportation, a necessary feature which

has been utilized to move agricultural goods but

has had deadly implication for the riparian brush

rabbits (Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery, 2016).

At the entrance of the Delta alone there are three

railroads and an interstate which affects the livelihood of the riparian brush rabbit through habitat fragmentation and pollution (William, 1998). Additionally, urban sprawl, which has resulted from increased human populations, has further destroyed and fragmented the habitat of the riparian brush rabbit, unfairly evicting them from their home. Unsurprisingly, these new landowners are now reluctant to give back this stolen land, making private property acquisition efforts very challenging (Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery, 2016). Click here to find out how you can donate your private property and encourage others to do so.