Data from: Rabbits buffer dung beetle declines following the abandonment of traditional agropastoral practices in a semi-arid Iberian region

[Description of methods used for collection/generation of data] Data were compiled from a central Iberian area located within the municipality of Ont gola (Toledo province, Spain). All the sampling sites were situated within an area of approximately 22 km2 characterised by a treeless, semi-arid landscape (c. 550-650 m a.s.l.) on poor sedimentary gypsum soils, where the natural vegetation consists of steppe dominated by shrubs, forbs, and grasses, with sparto grass (Stipa tenacissima L.) as the prevailing species. Sixteen sites were surveyed in the sampling area on nine occasions (1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2018 and 2022) during a period spanning 26 years. These sampling sites were separated in average around of 3.6 km among them (maximum distance = 8.0 km, minimum distance = 0.7 km). Each site was sampled only one time in spring during the last week of May and the first half of June, depending of the weather conditions. Sampling was always carried out over four days (two to place the traps and two to collect their contents), beginning once the spring rains had ended and under sunny, rain-free conditions. Five baited pitfall traps of recognized efficiency separated by 5 meters from each other were placed in every sampling site in each year. These pitfall traps were baited with 100 g of fresh sheep dung collected the day before the pitfall-traps were placed on a farm located about 37 km away, and the attracted beetles were collected after 48 hours and preserved in alcohol for later identification.