Recent Trends and Future Outlook for the Swamp Rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) in Illinois

Declines in forested bottomlands cause concern about the status of swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) in Illinois. We identified potential swamp rabbit habitat using the Illinois Land Cover database, applying size and distance criteria to areas classified as forested wetland, swamp, or shallow water wetland. Potential habitat was searched 19951997 for fecal pellets on raised objects indicating swamp rabbit presence, and the resulting distribution compared to that found in a 1985 survey. We found swamp rabbits occupied 33 of 69 sites searched in 14 of 20 counties. While there were changes in occupancy status of individual sites between the 1985 and our survey, the overall distribution appears to have been stable over the intervening years. We believe the swamp rabbit in Illinois exists as a mainland-island metapopulation and remains vulnerable to habitat loss and stochastic events that can cause local extirpation. We recommend a proactive management strategy focusing on existing habitat that identifies and manages resource rich habitat patches (sources) and establishes connectivity with smaller patches and lower quality habitat that now serve as “islands” or are unoccupied. A public-private partnership should be included because there are important sites in private ownership.